Book  Repair  and  Restoration 


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BOOK  REPAIR 
AND  RESTORATION 

A  MANUAL  OF  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS 
FOR  BIBLIOPHILES 

Including  some  Tra?islated  Selections 

from 

Essai  sur  Tart  de  Restaurer  Ics  Estampes  et  les  Livres, 
par  A.  Bonnardot,  Paris  1858 

By 

MITCHELL  S.  BUCK 

Author  of  ^* Syrinx,"  "Ephemera,"  *<The  Songs  of  Phryne," 
Translator  of  **Lucian'8  Dialogues  of  the  Hetaerai,"  etc. 


Philadelphia  NICHOLAS    L.   BROWN  MCMXVIII 


Copyright,  1918  A^ 

By  Nicholas  L.  Brown  l/^    ^ 


Printed  July  igiS 


V 


*>^ 


BIBRAP^''        ■   '"^   T.TBTiaOl 


FOREWORD 

The  following  chapters  contain  suggestions  partly 
gathered  from  the  experience  of  others  and  partly  evolved 
for  myself  in  caring  for  my  own  books.  Although  many 
"books  about  books"  have  already  been  written,  there  is 
still,  I  think,  a  place  for  this  one,  I  have  designed  it 
especially  for  the  bibliophile  who  enjoys  "fussing**  over 
his  books  and  who  receives,  in  seeing  them  in  good  condi- 
tion and  repair  through  his  oivn  efforts,  an  echo  of  the 
pleasure  he  receives  from  reading  them. 

In  translating  from  Bonnardot,  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  abridging  or  paraphrasing,  at  times,  the  chapters 
ivhich  I  have  included  here,  not  only  to  confine  the  sub- 
jects a  little  more  closely  but  also  to  present  his  essential 
suggestions  as  concisely  as  possible.  His  book,  copies  of 
luhich  are  very  scarce,  was  first  issued  in  an  edition  of 
four  hundred  copies  in  1846  and  reissued,  with  revisions, 
in  1858,  It  has  not  since  been  reprinted  nor,  so  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  learn,  has  it  been  translated  into  English, 
either  wholly  or  in  part. 


CONTENTS 

Foreword:     Page  7 

Chapter  I 

General  Restoration:     Page  15 

Chapter  II 

Removing  Stains:     Page  25 

Chapter  III 

Rebacking:     Page  39 

Chapter  IV 

Repairing  Old  Binding:     Page  51 

Chapter  V 

Rebinding:     Page  77 

Chapter  VI 

The  Book  Shelves:     Page  89 

Chapter  VII 

Book  Buying:     Page  99 

Chapter  VIII 

The  Greek  and  Latin  Classics:     Page  111 

Index:     Page  123 


381125 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Inlaid  Levant  Binding:     Frontispiece 

Re-lining  Back:     Page  21 

Vellum  Bindings:     Page  25 

Original  Sheep  Binding  (1684)  Rebacked:    Page  39 

Cutting  for  Rebacking:     Page  41 

Cutting  for  Rebacking:     Page  42 

Loosening  Leather  for  Rebacking:     Page  43 

Setting  New  Back:     Page  44 

Binding  Head-Cap:     Page  45 

Folder:     Page  47 

Iron:     Page  48 

Modern  Levant  Binding:     Page  51 

SoLANDER  Slip-Case:     Page  77 

Leather  Slip-Covers:     Page  89 

Slip-Cover:     Page  92 

Kelmscott  Press  Book:     Page  99 

Black  Letter  Virgil:     Page  111 


CHAPTER  I 
GENERAL  RESTORATION 


To  consider  first  a  few  simple  processes  of  ordinary 
restoration,  let  us  assume  that  a  rare  book  in  its  original 
cloth  or  boards,  in  a  more  or  less  damaged  condition  but 
not  to  the  point  of  necessitating  rebinding,  has  just  been 
received. 

The  first  operation  required  is  to  carefully  clean  oflf 
the  binding  with  a  soft  cloth,  wipe  off  the  end  papers, 
which  often  have  a  coating  of  dust,  especially  when  the 
covers  do  not  fit  closely,  and,  if  the  top  is  gilt,  wipe  that 
carefully  also.  An  "uncut"  top  is  freed  from  dust  by 
brushing  with  a  soft  brush. 

The  book  is  then  collated  to  make  sure  that  every  page 
is  in  place  and,  if  there  are  plates,  that  no  plate  is  miss- 
ing. This  operation,  it  is  perhaps  needless  to  say,  should 
by  all  means  be  done  before  purchasing,  unless  the  book 
comes  from  a  reliable  dealer  to  whom  an  imperfect  copy 
could  be  returned.  If,  in  collating  an  old  book,  the 
amateur  discovers  that  page  173  follows  immediately  after 

IS 


page  136,  he  need  not  necessarily  be  alarmed,  as  mistakes 
in  pagination  and  even  in  the  numbering  of  signatures  are 
very  common  in  books  printed  a  century  or  more  ago.  In 
such  cases,  the  "catch  words'*  which  generally  appear  at 
the  bottom  of  the  pages,  or  else  the  text  itself,  should  be 
examined  to  see  whether  the  page,  without  regard  for  its 
number,  is  really  in  its  proper  place  or  not.  Each  page  is 
then  examined  for  dirt  or  finger  marks,  which  can  almost 
always  be  removed,  the  quality  of  the  paper  permitting, 
with  a  soft  pencil-eraser  or  bread  crumbs. 

Marginal  notes,  especially  in  contemporary  hands,  are 
much  better  left  alone;  they  are  often  of  considerable 
value  and,  when  neatly  and  not  excessively  done,  rather 
add  to  the  interest  of  the  volume  without  detracting  from 
its  value  to  any  great  extent.  On  which  subject  Bonnardot 
has  quite  a  little  to  say,  in  the  chapter  on  Stains  included 
in  this  volume. 

Presentation  inscriptions  in  the  autograph  of  the 
author  or  of  some  one  intimately  connected  with  him  of 
course  greatly  increase  the  interest  and  value  of  the  book. 
Names  written  on  title-pages  can  often  be  effaced  by  the 
process  elsewhere  described,  but  these  should  not  be  dis- 
turbed until  they  have  been  thoroughly  investigated.  A 
name  which  at  the  moment  seems  totally  unfamiliar  may 
sometimes  be  found  of  special  interest  inscribed  in  the  par- 
ticular volume  in  which  it  is  found.  As  an  ordinary  illus- 
tration of  this,  might  be  mentioned  a  copy  of   Edwin 

16 


Arnold's  "Gulistan"  bearing  on  the  half-title  the  inscrip- 
tion '*To  dear  Mrs.  Stone  from  Tama."  This  author  had, 
at  one  time,  married  a  Japanese  girl,  and  a  little  investiga- 
tion revealed  that  her  name  w^as  Tama  KuroKawa.  Her 
inscription,  of  course,  remains  undisturbed,  as  it  adds  a 
distinctly  personal  note  to  the  volume.  But  alas!  the 
John  Diddles  and  William  Bubbles  v^ho  have  for  cen- 
turies scribbled  their  odious  names  over  fair  title-pages, 
w^ith  never  the  grace  to  make  themselves  immortal  and 
their  autographs  a  find! 

Writing  in  the  year  1345,  Richard  de  Bury  remarks, 
''When  defects  are  found  in  books,  they  should  be  repaired 
at  once.  Nothing  develops  more  rapidly  than  a  tear,  and 
one  which  is  neglected  at  the  moment  must  later  be 
repaired  with  usury."  Bearing  in  mind  these  words  of 
wisdom  while  examining  each  page  of  the  book,  pencil 
notes  should  be  made  on  a  slip  of  paper  of  any  pages  need- 
ing repairs,  also  of  any  places  between  the  signatures 
where  the  back  is  ''shaken"  exposing  the  stitching  and 
lining. 

Checking  of?  from  this  list,  advisable  repairs  should 
then  be  made.  The  edges  of  any  tears  should  be  neatly 
joined  with  paste.  To  do  this,  a  clean  sheet  of  white 
paper  should  be  placed  under  the  torn  part  and  the  edges 
of  the  tear  lightly  coated  with  ordinary  white  paste.  These 
edges  are  then  pressed  together  by  means  of  another  sheet 
of  white  paper  pressed  above,  both  the  upper  and  under 

17 


sheets  being  gently  moved  several  times  to  prevent  them 
from  sticking  to  the  torn  edges.  Paste  used  in  this  way 
dries  in  a  few  minutes  and  holds  firmly  if  the  edges  of  the 
tear  are  a  bit  rough.  If  the  page  is  separated  by  a  clean 
cut,  it  may  be  necessary  to  apply  a  strip  of  thin  tissue  to 
hold  the  edges  together.  The  same  general  method  may 
be  used  for  inlaying  pieces  torn  from  the  margins,  perhaps 
by  the  careless  use  of  a  paper  cutter  in  the  hands  of  the 
original  owner.  Paper  of  the  same  weight  and  tint  as 
the  torn  page  is  secured,  placed  under  the  lacuna,  and  the 
outlines  of  the  missing  part  traced  off  with  a  sharp  pencil. 
The  piece  to  be  inlaid  is  then  cut,  following  the  traced 
outline  but  leaving  a  little  margin,  and  pasted  in  position, 
the  outer  edge  being  cut  even  with  the  general  edge  of 
the  leaf  when  the  inlay  is  dry.  (*) 

White  paper  for  inlaying  may  be  tinted  with  water- 
colors  to  match  the  old  paper.  The  best  method,  however, 
of  imitating  the  yellowish  tone  of  old  paper  is  to  stain  the 
inlay  with  potassium  permanganate.  This  is  a  dark  purple 
crystal  which  is  used  in  extremely  weak  solution  in  warm 

(*)  M.  R.  Yve-Plessis  in  his  "Petit  Essai  de  Biblio-Therapeu- 
tique"  suggests  an  excellent  way  of  preparing  a  paper  patch 
for  an  inlay.  Which  is,  to  lay  the  paper  from  which  the  patch 
is  to  be  taken  under  the  torn  page  and  trace  the  outlines  of  the 
tear  on  the  new  paper  with  a  clean  pen  filled  with  water.  By 
tracing  over  several  times,  the  water  will  saturate  the  new 
paper  on  the  line  made  by  the  pen,  so  that  the  paper  may  be 
pulled  apart,  providing  a  patch  having  more  exact  outlines 
than  could  be  secured  by  cutting  with  scissors. 

18    . 


water.  If  a  sheet  of  paper  is  to  be  tinted  for  inlaying  or 
to  replace,  perhaps,  a  missing  fTy-leaf^  it  is  laid  in  the  solu- 
tion for  a  few  seconds,  then  removed  knd  the  excess  purple 
tone  thoroughly  washed  off  under  running  water.  The 
paper  will  then  be  found  tinted  a  pale,  yellowish  brown, 
the  tone  of  which  may  be  varied  by  the  strength  of  the 
solution  and  the  length  of  time  the  paper  remains  in  it. 
Coffee,  licorice  or  tobacco  may  also  be  used,  with  good 
results. 

The  pages  all  in  order  and  repair,  the  next  operation 
IS  to  repair  the  "shaken"  back.  Perhaps  there  is  no  ill  to 
which  old  books,  especially  modern  issues  in  their  original 
bindings,  are  more  subject.  The  damage  known  as 
"broken"  back  usually  means  a  book  practically  broken  in 
half,  the  break,  in  old  calf  bindings,  usually  extending 
through  to  the  outside  of  the  back.  The  "shaken"  back 
on  the  contrary,  has  merely  separated  between  the  signa- 
tures, exposing,  between  the  inside  sheets,  the  lining  of  the 
back.  Cheaply  bound  books  seldom  remain  solid  between 
the  signatures,  especially  when  they  are  printed  on  heavy, 
unyielding  paper.  The  damage  arises  partly  from  the 
drying  out  of  the  glue  in  the  back  and  partly  from  careless 
handling  by  readers.  Books  should  always  be  opened 
gently  and  never  forced  open  to  absolutely  flatten  out  the 
pages  unless  the  binding  is  known  to  be  entirely  safe  and 
firm. 

19 


The  breaks  between  signatures  are  repaired  and  the 
old  glue  at  these  points  softened  by  means  of  bookbinders' 
paste.  For  this,  a  solid,  satisfactory  and  fairly  elastic 
substitute  can  be  made  by  mixing  about  equal  parts  of 
good  liquid  glue  and  ordinary  white  library  paste  of  the 
kind  which  comes  in  tubes.  With  a  long  pin,  slightly 
bent  on  the  point,  this  mixture  is  laid  in  the  open  crack 
between  the  signatures,  care  being  taken  to  distribute  it 
evenly  the  whole  length  of  the  book  and  to  thoroughly 
cover  the  exposed  inside  of  the  back  lining.  An  excess  of 
paste  must  be  avoided,  as  it  would  spread  out  on  the 
inside  margins  of  the  leaves  when  the  book  Is  closed  to  dry. 
When  all  the  broken  places  are  mended,  the  book  is  closed 
and  placed  under  a  slight  pressure  for  a  few  hours. 

Where  the  book  is  bound  with  a  "spring  back,"  that 
is  to  say,  with  a  back  which  springs  apart  when  the  book 
Is  opened,  leaving  a  space  between  the  outside  back  and 
the  actual  back  of  the  signatures  where  they  are  stitched, 
a  further  strengthening  of  the  back  may  be  desirable.  This 
strengthening  can  be  obtained  by  "lining  up"  the  inside 
back  with  a  new  strip  of  paper. 

To  do  this,  cut  a  strip  of  medium  weight  Japan 
vellum — which  is  the  best  paper  for  the  purpose — a  few 
inches  more  than  twice  the  height  of  the  book  and  in 
width  equal  to  the  Inside  back.  One  end  of  this,  with  the 
corners  clipped  so  it  will  not  catch,  is  inserted  between  the 
outside  and  Inside  backs  of  the  book  and  slipped  through 

20 


until  it  projects  about  an  inch  at  the  bottom  of  the  book. 
(Fig.  A.)  The  part  of  the  strip  left  exposed  at  the  top 
is  then  well  coated  on  the  inside  face  with  the  paste 
mentioned  above  and  pulled  into  the  book,  against  the 
inside  back  or  lining,  by  means  of  the  end  projecting  at 
the  bottom.    The  surplus  of  the  strip  at  top  and  bottom  is 


then  cut  off,  two  short  slips  of  paper  temporarily  inserted 
at  top  and  bottom  to  prevent  the  new  lining  adhering  to 
the  outside  back,  and  a  firm  hand  pressure  applied  all  over 
the  back  to  force  the  new  lining  into  close  union  with  the 
old  on  the  backs  of  the  signatures.    The  book  is  then  set 

21 


aside  to  dry,  under  a  light  pressure,  after  which  the  two 
slips  of  paper  inserted  at  top  and  bottom  are  pulled  out. 

Any  slight  necessary  exterior  repairs  should  then  be 
made — loose  bits  of  cloth  or  paper  at  worn  corners  or 
along  the  edges  of  the  boards  pasted  down,  and  any  tears 
at  the  top  of  back  above  the  head-band  reenforced  from 
the  inside  with  strips  of  cloth  or  paper. 

The  outside  of  a  soiled  cloth  binding  often  may  be 
cleaned  by  means  of  a  soft  pencil-eraser.  If  this  is  done, 
the  cloth  should  afterward  be  freshened  by  a  thin  coat  of 
sizing. 

If  these  operations  are  carefully  and  thoroughly  car- 
ried out,  the  book  should  then  be  in  a  solid  and  satisfactory 
condition  and  capable  of  standing  any  reasonable  amount 
of  wear. 


22 


CHAPTER  II 

REMOFING  STAINS 

Translated  From  Bonnardot 


'mmmmi 


> 


Before  discussing  the  means  of  attacking  stains  which 
may  blemish  a  book  or  a  precious  print,  I  am  going  to  say 
that,  in  certain  cases,  it  might  be  very  desirable  to  allow 
them  to  remain.  If  I  possessed,  for  example,  a  missive 
addressed  to  Charles  IX  during  the  night  of  Saint 
Bartholomew,  and  stained  with  bloody  finger-prints,  I 
would  take  great  care  not  to  disturb  these  marks  which, 
supposing  their  authenticity  established,  would  increase 
tenfold  the  value  of  the  autograph.  If  the  custodian  of 
the  Laurentian  Library  at  Florence  should  efface,  from 
his  Longus  manuscript,  Paul  Louis  Courier^s  puddle  of 
ink,  he  would  commit  an  act  of  vandalism,  for  that  ink 
stain  is  a  literary  celebrity.  (*) 

(*)  In  1809  Paul  Louis  Courier  discovered  at  Florence  a 
complete  manuscript  of  Daphnis  and  Chloe,  containing  a  long 
passage  in  Part  I  which  was  missing  in  all  texts  known  until 
that  time,  and  the  existence  of  which,  as  a  connecting  passage, 
had  long  been  a  subject  of  speculation  among  scholars.  Unfor- 
tunately, he  had  hardly  more  than  completed  a  transcript  of  his 
discovery  when  he   accidentally  upset  a  bottle  of  ink  over  the 

25 


To  speak  of  more  ordinary  examples:  one  often  finds 
on  a  book  or  print,  a  signature  or  inscription  which  may 
sometimes  be  an  autograph  well  worth  preservation.  (*) 
I  very  rarely  efface  signatures  or  the  notes  of  early, 
unknown  owners;  I  find  it  pleasanter  to  respect  these 
souvenirs  of  the  past.  In  the  same  way,  some  curious 
objects  have  certain  defects  which,  I  think,  add  to  their 
interest.  For  example,  a  statuette  of  the  Virgin,  in  silver 
or  ivory,  of  which  the  features  and  hands  are  half  effaced 
by  the  frequent  contact  of  pious  lips.  Restore  such  worn 
parts,  and  the  sentiment  is  stripped  from  a  relic  of  past 
ages.  It  is  far  better  to  leave  untouched  such  scars,  which 
attest  the  antique  piety  of  the  cloister.  A  vellum  Book  of 
Hours  of  the  Fifteenth  Century,  worn  and  soiled  through 
prayer,  has,  to  my  mind,  acquired  a  venerable  patina.  Here, 
a  spot  of  yellow  wax ;  there,  the  head  of  a  saint  blemished 

original  manuscript,  partly  obliterating  the  passage.  The  inci- 
dent caused  a  bitter  controversy  among  scholars.  Courier  was 
violently  attacked  and,  although  he  had  fifty  copies  of  his  text 
printed  for  special  distribution,  was  even  accused  of  purposely 
spilling  the  ink  in  order  to  render  his  transcript  unique. 

M.  S.  B. 
(♦)  M.  R.  Yve-Plessis,  elsewhere  quoted,  suggests  that  it 
may  sometimes  be  desirable  to  strengthen  the  ink  of  some 
valuable  and  desirable  signature,  instead  of  removing  it,  and 
for  this  purpose  recommends  a  mixture  of:  Tannin,  six 
grammes;  alcohol,  thirty-five  granunes;  distilled  water,  one 
hundred  grammes;  applied  with  a  small  brush  and  the  part 
afterwards  brushed  over  several  times  with  clear  water.  This 
operation,  however,  should  certainly  not  be  undertaken  except  in 
extreme  cases  where  the  signature  appeared  ready  to  entirely 
fade  out.  M.  S.  B. 

26 


by  the  star-print  from  a  tear  of  devotion:  are  not  these 
stains  which  should  be  respected?  On  the  other  hand,  a 
blot  of  ink  or  an  oily  smear  point  only  to  carelessness  and 
should  be  removed. 

About  the  year  1846,  I  was  invited  by  M.  A.  Farrens, 
a  skilful  restorer  of  old  books,  to  see  in  his  work-shop  a 
Dance  Macabre  in  quarto,  imprinted  on  paper,  at  Paris, 
toward  the  end  of  the  Fifteenth  Century;  a  rare  volume 
which  he  was  restoring  for  M.  Techner. 

The  portions  already  cleaned  and  restored,  compared 
with  those  still  untouched,  excited  my  admiration.  The 
numerous  worm  holes,  the  torn  places,  had  disappeared 
through  an  application  of  paper-paste,  so  well  joined,  so 
well  blended  in  the  mass,  that  I  could  hardly  detect  the 
boundaries  of  the  restorations.  The  letters  and  wood-cuts 
suffering  from  lacunae  had  been  reformed  with  great  skill 
on  a  new  foundation.  The  soiled  surfaces  of  the  pages 
had  entirely  disappeared  before  I  know  not  what  scraping 
or  chemical  action.  In  a  word,  M.  Farrens  was  putting 
into  use  every  secret  of  restoration  to  give  again  to  this 
volume  its  original  lustre. 

Ah  well!  today,  I  confess,  that  if  I  possessed  this  book 
in  the  dilapidated  state  in  which  I  saw  it,  I  would  leave  it 
just  as  it  stood,  and  limit  myself  to  the  indispensable 
repair  of  a  new  and  solid  binding.  Its  worn  and  soiled 
condition  came,  very  probably,  from  the  frequent  and 
pious  turning  of  its  pages,  in  that  monachal  perseverance 


of  prayer  of  which  our  century  knows  nothing.  Its  shock- 
ing and  decrepit  condition  had,  to  my  eyes,  a  secret  in  har- 
mony with  all  books  of  the  kind,  which,  from  each  page, 
recall  to  us  our  insignificance. 

No  doubt  many  amateurs  will  not  agree  with  mc  in 
this;  some,  perhaps,  will  declare  I  have  arrived  at  a  mon- 
strous degree  of  cynicism  for  a  bibliophile.  However,  I 
will  supply  the  means  of  restoring  at  least  a  part  of  their 
original  freshness  to  books  and  old  prints  badly  treated 
by  time  or  by  the  indifference  of  their  earlier  possessors. 

When  a  print  is  soiled  with  spots  or  foreign  color, 
especially  in  the  most  interesting  places,  one  can  hardly 
lay  it  away  in  a  portfolio  without  making  some  attempt  to 
remove  or  reduce  the  strange  tints  which  appear  on  it. 
This  is  the  part  of  my  present  work  most  difficult  to  dis- 
cuss, while  being  the  most  useful.  My  simple  notions  of 
chemistry  are  not  always  sufficient  and  perhaps,  some  day, 
some  chemist  especially  trained  in  analysis  and  decomposi- 
tion may,  with  advantage,  rewrite  this  portion  of  my 
work.  I  will  at  least  record,  however,  a  large  number  of 
satisfactory  results  which  I  have  obtained  and  even  repeated 
on  fragments  of  proofs  on  unsized  paper,  this  last  being 
the  most  unfavorable  of  all  conditions.  (*) 

(♦)   In  a  note  on  this  subject,  Bonnardot  warns  the  amateur 

against  careless  or  unskilful  use  of  the  various  chemicals  men- 
tioned, as  many  of  them,  improperly  handled,  not  only  irrep- 
arably damage  the  page  or  print,  but  also  inflict  serious  injury 
on  the  operator  himself.  M.  S.  B. 

28 


The  first  difficulty  comes  when  the  nature  of  the  spot 
is  not  easily  recognized.  This  yellow  spot  which  resists 
both  washing  and  bleaching,  may  perhaps  be  formed  by 
some  greasy  body  or  by  some  metallic  oxide,  and  one  must 
proceed  carefully  on  any  hypothesis  which  may  be  formed. 
In  such  cases,  where  experiments  must  be  tried,  it  is 
necessary  to  know  some  chemical  substance  which  can  be 
first  applied,  to  the  end  that,  if  the  spot  persists,  the 
chemicals  used  in  attempting  its  removal  will  not,  at  least, 
render  it  impervious  to  further  efforts.  It  is  not  possible 
to  set  positive  rules  for  this.  I  have  tried  indifferently  the 
action  of  an  acid  before  that  of  an  alkali,  and  vice  versa. 
Only,  I  have  been  careful,  before  renewing  any  experi- 
ments to  soak  the  print  for  several  hours  in  cold  water 
to  stop  the  action  of  any  chemicals  already  used  and  to 
annul  their  traces  and  effects. 

The  first  attempt  to  make  upon  a  spot  of  unknown 
origin,  is  to  soak  the  print  for  several  hours  in  cold  water 
and  then  rub  the  spot  gently  with  a  finger  or  a  small 
brush.  It  sometimes  happens,  especially  when  the  paper 
has  been  well  made  and  well  sized,  that  the  spot  will  yield 
to  this  gentle  rubbing,  slide  ofiE  and  disappear.  When  the 
spot  becomes  thick  and  pasty,  it  is  at  least  weakened  even 
if  it  does  not  come  off.  This  is,  in  any  case,  a  necessary 
first  operation.  But  is  should  be  carried  out  with  care,  in 
order  not  to  injure  the  surface  of  the  print.  Before  soak- 
ing a  print  in  water  or  chemicals,  it  is  best  to  clip  a  few 

29 


small  shreds  from  the  margin  and  soak  these  in  a  small 
glass  test-tube  to  note  the  effect.  (*) 

It  sometimes  happens  that  there  appears  on  a  page  or 
print  a  single  spot  which  it  is  desirable  to  remove  without 
going  to  the  trouble  and  risk  of  soaking  the  whole  sheet. 
A  spot  on  the  corner  offers  few  obstacles ;  the  part  is 
simply  dipped  in  a  vessel  containing  the  proper  solution. 
If  the  spot  is  in  the  middle  of  the  sheet,  I  usually  make 
use  of  a  shallow  porcelain  cup  having  sides  slanted  in 
toward  the  centre,  such  as  is  used  for  water-colors.  By 
means  of  such  a  cup,  any  part  of  a  sheet  can  be  brought 
into  contact  with  the  solution.  The  chemical  may  also  be 
applied  directly  to  the  spot  by  means  of  a  small  brush. 

M.  de  Fontelle  advises  the  use  of  blotting  paper  from 
which  a  hole,  a  little  larger  than  the  spot,  has  been  cut. 
This  is  placed  over  the  spot  and  the  chemical  liquid  dropped 
in.  I'he  blotter  around  the  spot  will  absorb  the  excess 
liquid  without  offering  any  obstacle  to  the  operation. 

In  operations  upon  single  spots,  the  action  of  the  chem- 
icals always  extends  a  little  beyond  the  spot  itself  and 
often   leaves    a   bleached    line    which    is   in    disagreeable 

(*)  After  sheets  have  been  cleaned  by  soaking  or  washing, 
they  should  be  re-sized.  Sizing  is  made  by  dissolving  half  an 
ounce  of  isinglass  in  a  pint  of  water.  The  mixture  is  used  at  a 
temperature  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  degrees 
Fahrenheit  and  in  a  shallow  pan.  Sheets  are  left  in  for  a 
few  seconds  only  and  then  dried  between  sheets  of  blotting 
paper.  Sizing  will  often  restore  old  paper  which  has  become 
soft.  M.  S.  B. 

30 


contrast  with  the  other  parts  of  the  sheet.  This  may  be 
retinted  with  dark  licorice  or  some  suitable  color  in  more 
or  less  concentrated  solution,  mixed  sometimes  with  a  little 
common  ink.  This  is  applied  with  a  small  brush,  care 
being  taken  not  to  overlap  the  solution  on  the  unbleached 
portion  of  the  sheet  beyond  the  bleached  line.  (*) 

REMOVING  STAINS  OF  VARIOUS  KINDS 

GREASE.  Grease  spots,  especially  when  very  recent, 
can  sometimes  be  drawn  out  by  an  absorbent  powder  such 
as  impalpable  clay  or  chalk.  The  spotted  leaf  is  enclosed 
between  two  tins  or  boards,  both  sides  of  the  spot  well 
dusted  with  the  powder,  and  the  book  closed  tightly  and 
set  aside  for  several  hours.  Some  kinds  of  grease  absorb 
more  slowly  than  others.  If  this  operation  is  unsuccess- 
ful, alcohol,  ether  or  benzine  may  be  tried,  (f)  A  weak 
solution  of  pure  or  caustic  potash  operates  very  rapidly. 

(*)  Potassium  permanganate,  described  in  the  chapter  on 
'General  Restoration,  is  applicable  for  this  operation.  In  operat- 
ing on  a  spot  on  the  page  of  a  bound  book,  care  should  be  taken 
always  to  place  two  or  three  sheets  of  clean  blotting  paper 
under  the  page  to  prevent  any  liquid  from  soaking  through  to 
the  next  page.  M.  S.  B. 

(t)  Applied  with  a  brush,  first  around  the  outside  of  the 
spot,  then  in  narrowing  circles  until  the  centre  is  reached. 
Blotting  paper  is  then  placed  on  both  sides  of  the  sheet,  over 
the  spot,  and  a  hot  flat-iron  applied.  The  absorbent  powder 
("French  Chalk"  answers  very  well)  will  operate  better  if  the 
powdered  sheet  is  enclosed  simply  between  two  pieces  of  paper, 
and  a  hot  flat-iron  applied.     Plenty  of  powder  should  be  used. 

M.  S.  B. 

31 


If  the  ink  on  the  page  or  print  is  turned  gray  by  this,  it 
may  be  restored  by  a  wash  of  acid  in  very  weak  solution. 

WHITE  OF  YELLOW  WAX.  These  spots  yield 
promptly  to  pure  turpentine,  especially  in  a  warm  bath. 
When  the  spots  thicken,  they  are  lifted  off  with  a  scraper, 
or  blotting  paper  may  be  applied,  pressed  down  with  a 
heated  iron. 

STEARIN E.  Wax  tapers  are  today  replaced  by  a 
kind  of  liquid  grease,  stearine,  spots  of  which  give  paper 
a  disagreeable  transparency^  These  dissolve  in  warm 
alcohol  or  boiling  water,  but  the  spot  remains  stiff  and  the 
brilliance  of  the  ink  is  reduced.  The  greater  part  of  the 
stearine  spot  may  be  removed  by  the  same  process  indicated 
for  wax. 

SEALING  WAX.  RESIN  AND  RESINOUS 
VARNISH.  All  dry  resins  yield  to  a  warm  alcohol 
bath.  The  thick  part  is  removed  as  above.  Sealing  wax 
colored  red,  blue,  etc.,  leaves  a  corresponding  tint  which 
is  very  tenacious. 

TAR,  PITCH,  etc.  These  spots  are  rarely  encoun- 
tered. They  give  way  to  warm  turpentine  or  cold  ben- 
zine. If  a  dark  trace  remains,  it  sometimes  may  be 
removed  by  oxalic  acid  if  the  spot  has  not  been  burned  by 
the  hot  tar.  Whenever  turpentine  is  used  on  any  spots, 
it  should  always  be  the  purest  obtainable. 

32 


EGG  YELLOW.  This  is  always  mixed  with  a  little 
albumen,  a  matter  which  thickens  in  boiling  water  and 
can  be  drawn  from  the  paper,  along  with  the  yellow.  If 
the  paper  is  smooth  and  well  sized,  all  will  disappear  under 
a  sponge  in  a  bath  of  hot  water.  There  sometimes  remains 
a  yellowish  trace.  To  remove  this,  apply  with  a  brush 
chlorated  lime  and  then  very  weak  hydrochloric  acid. 

MUD.  This  may  be  removed  simply  with  a  wet 
sponge  or  in  a  warm  water  bath.  Where  the  paper  is 
rough  and  absorbent,  soap  jelly  should  be  used.  If  a  dark 
trace  remains,  it  usually  will  yield  to  oxalic  acid  or  cream 
of  tartar. 

INK.  Ordinary  writing  ink  is  easily  decomposed 
because  its  principal  constituent  is  a  vegetable  matter,  oak- 
gall,  mixed  with  a  little  iron  oxide.  This  gives  way  rather 
promptly  to  an  application  or  sorrel  salt  dissolved  in  boil- 
ing water.  The  water  must  be  boiling  to  secure  prompt 
action.  Even  better  success  may  be  obtained  by  the  use 
of  pure  oxalic  acid,  which  is  an  extraction  from  sorrel 
salt  of  which  it  is  the  base.   (*)     Chinese  ink  cannot  be 

(*)  Before  and  after  using  oxalic  acid  on  ink  stains,  it  is 
best  to  wash  the  spot  or  page  with  hydrochloric  acid  mixed  with 
about  seven  times  its  volume  of  water.  In  bleaching  ink 
from  a  page,  a  white  mark  almost  always  remains,  especially 
noticeable  if  the  paper  is  tinted  with  age.  It  is  far  better  to 
soak  the  whole  page,  to  secure  uniform  bleaching,  and  then,  if 
necessary,  retint  the  page  to  its  former  color,  than  to  attempt  to 
operate  on  part  of  a  page  only.  Sometimes,  when  a  book  is 
loosely  bound,  the  page  can  be  carefully  cut  out,  close  to  the 

33 


dissolved  but  sometimes  may  be  washed  from  a  smooth 
page  by  means  of  a  damp  sponge.  Marking  ink  may  be 
removed  with  chloride  of  lime. 

FRUIT  JUICE.  Stains  from  fruit  may  be  removed 
by  chlorine  or  cream  of  tartar.  In  some  cases,  water  alone 
is  sufficient. 

BLOOD.  These  stains  may  be  bleached  by  chloride 
of  lime.  As  this  must  be  applied  for  at  least  twenty  min- 
utes, it  is  better  to  use  it  as  a  damp  paste.  There  will 
remain  a  yellow  trace  which  will  give  way  to  a  weak  acid. 

FECAL  MATTERS  OR  URINE.  For  such  spots, 
try  soap  and  water.  If  this  is  unsuccessful  try  succes- 
sively chlorine,  alkalis,  oxalic  acid  and  hydrochloric  acid, 
soaking  the  page  for  an  hour  in  water  between  each 
operation. 

TRANSFERRED  IMPRESSIONS.  Frequently  the 
characters  of  a  book,  bound  before  the  ink  is  completely 
dry,  offset,  while  in  press,  an  impression  in  grayish  tones 
upon  the  opposite  pages  or  upon  the  faces  of  inserted  prints. 
These  transferred  impressions  may  sometimes  be  removed 
by  rubbing  with  an  eraser  made  of  bread  crumbs  or  by 

sewing,  and  pasted  in  again  when  it  has  been  washed  and  dried 
as  desired.  This  is,  however,  a  questionable  practice,  and  may 
seriously  injure  the  value  of  the  book,  and  on  a  valuable  book 
it  is  better  to  cut  the  sewing  and  remove  the  entire  signature, 
then  have  the  book  rebound,  or  rescwn  and  returned  to  the  old 
covers,   as  may  be  most  advisable.  M.  S.  B. 

34 


soap-jelly,  which  should  be  left  on  for  some  time  and  then 
washed  off. 

I  have  no  doubt  neglected  to  describe  more  than  one 
kind  of  spot  which  an  amateur  may  find.  By  analogous 
reasoning,  however,  he  may  find  for  himself  the  proper 
remedies  to  use.  If  the  spot  seems  to  be  of  a  vegetable 
or  animal  nature,  he  should  use  chlorine  and  sulfuric  acid ; 
if  metallic,  diluted  hj^drochloric  acid ;  if  oily  or  greasy, 
essence  of  turpentine,  ether,  alkaline  solutions  or  benzine. 

BLEACHING.   (*)     Soaking  a  print  in  cold  water 

for  about  twenty-four  hours  often  suffices  to  brighten  and 

clear  it;  but  if,   after   a   long  soaking,   it   still   remains 

darkened  to  the  point  of  detracting  from  the  clarity  of 

the  engraving,  one  will  need  to  use  chemicals  in  order 

to  obtain  a  suitable  bleaching.     Chloride  of  lime  may  be 

used  for  this  purpose.     This  is  a  fine,  dry  powder  which 

softens    when    allowed    to    absorb    moisture    from    the 

atmosphere.     About  fifty  grammes  of  this  are  placed  in 

a  bottle  about  two-thirds  full  of  water,  and  thoroughly 

shaken.    When  the  solution  clears  by  the  excess  of  matter 

(*)  Bonnardot  mentions  several  processes  for  bleaching  a 
print,  equally  applicable  to  the  same  operation  on  the  pages  of 
a  book.  I  translate  the  process  which  seems  to  be  the  simplest 
and  most  effective.  It  will  be  noted  that  he  does  not  mention 
the  size  of  the  bottle  in  which  the  amount  of  chemical  he  advises 
is  to  be  dissolved.  I  would  suggest  a  full  quart  bottle,  and 
also  that  the  amateur  operator  thoroughly  try  the  effect  of  his 
solution  on  some  old  pieces  of  paper  to  make  sure  it  is  too  weak 
to  injure  the  body  of  the  paper.  M.  S.  B. 

35 


depositing  on  the  bottom  of  the  bottle,  the  clear  liquid 
is  carefully  poured  off.  Another  solution,  which  will  be 
weaker,  may  be  made  by  pouring  more  water  into  the 
bottle.  The  clear  solution  is  diluted  with  about  twenty 
times  its  quantity  of  pure  water,  for  use.  It  is  better  to 
dilute  too  much,  and  add  more  of  the  solution  later,  if 
necessary,  than  to  dilute  too  little.  The  solution  will 
•not  injure  the  black  ink  of  an  impression,  but  if  too  con- 
centrated, it  will  make  the  paper  brittle. 

After  using  this  solution,  the  print  should  be  placed 
in  a  bath  of  weak  acid,  and  then  left  to  soak  for  several 
hours  in  clear  water. 


36 


CHAPTER  III 
REBACKING 


E^T^f"^— 


Pi 
o 


It  often  happens  that  books  are  purchased  in  old  sheep, 
calf,  or  even  morocco  bindings  with  the  hinges  so  broken 
that  the  boards  are  either  entirely  off  or  held  only  by 
weakened  cords.  Such  books  may  be  properly  entrusted 
to  a  good  binder  for  rebinding  in  substantial  leather.  It 
is  sometimes  preferable,  however,  merely  to  reback  such 
books,  not  only  in  order  to  preserve  the  old  leather  sides, 
which  are  generally  in  much  better  condition  than  the 
back  and  often  possessed  of  a  very  attractive  patina,  but 
also  to  save  the  wear  and  slight  trimming  to  which  the 
book  would  necessarily  be  subject  in  rebinding. 

It  is  inadvisable  to  reback  with  calf  or  any  very  per- 
ishable leather.  A  good  quality  morocco  should  be  used. 
In  rfibacking  books  bound  in  old  calf  or  sheep,  a  smooth- 
grain  brown  morocco,  such  as  that  known  to  the  trade 
as  Spanish  morocco,  will  be  found  satisfactory  and  a  fair 
match  for  the  old  leather,  both  in  color  and  surface 
texture. 

39 


The  first  operation  in  rebacking  is  to  treat  the  old 
leather  with  a  softening  substance,  such  as  vaseline,  to 
prevent  the  old  leather  from  breaking  while  it  is  being 
worked  on.  The  vaseline  should  be  rubbed  well  into 
the  covers,  left  on  for  about  half  an  hour,  and  the  excess 
then  wiped  off  with  a  soft  cloth. 

Vaseline  is  also  used  in  the  same  way  to  assist  in  the 
preservation  of  old  leather  bindings  still  in  good  repair. 
It  is  not  entirely  satisfactory,  as  it  soon  dries  out.  The 
best  composition  for  preserving  leather  is  one  suggested  by 
Mr.  Douglas  Cockerell,  made  by  mixing  about  two  ounces 
of  castor  oil  with  one  ounce  of  paraffin  wax.  The  oil  is 
heated  and  the  wax,  shredded,  melted  into  it.  As  the  mix- 
ture cools  it  is  stirred  with  a  splinter  of  wood.  If  this 
is  thoroughly  done,  the  resulting  mixture  will  be  a  whitish 
jelly.  A  thin  coat  of  this  is  applied  to  the  leather,  espe- 
cially around  the  hinges,  and  well  rubbed  in  with  the  palm 
of  the  hand.  Any  excess  is  then  wiped  ofi  and  the  book 
polished  with  a  very  soft  white  rag.  This  mixture  is  best 
used  while  still  hot,  a  little  being  soaked  into  a  woolen 
cloth,  by  means  of  which  it  is  rubbed  on  the  binding.  If 
leather  bindings  could  be  given  this  treatment  about  once 
a  year  their  life  would  be  greatly  increased. 

After  the  leather  of  the  old  book  to  be  rebacked  has 
been  treated,  a  cut  is  made  down  each  side  of  the  back, 
through  the  leather  close  to  the  broken  hinge.  (Fig.  A.) 
Care  should  be  taken  not  to  cut  through  the  cords  which 

40 


are  set  into  the  boards  at  this  point.  If  the  back  is  fur- 
nished with  a  leather  label  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation, 
this  label  should  be  cut  around  and  lifted  off  to  be  used 
again  on  the  new  back. 


Fi^.  A 


All  the  leather  on  the  back  and  over  the  hinges,  up  to 
the  cut  above  mentioned,  should  then  be  lifted  or  scraped 
off.  As  a  majority  of  old  books  arc  bound  with  the 
leather  glued  directly  to  the  lining  of  the  back,  a  certain 
amount  of  the  old  glue,  according  to  its  condition,  scraped 
smooth,  should  be  left  on  the  lining. 

While  old  calf  backs  are  generally  so  dry  that  they 
must  be  scraped  off  in  pieces,  it  is  sometimes  possible,  when 

41 


the  back  is  of  more  solid  leather,  to  remove  the  old  back; 
with  the  label  and  gilding,  in  one  piece.  If  this  can  be 
done,  the  inside  of  the  old  back  should  be  scraped  and 
this  back  pasted  on  again  over  the  nev^  leather  back.  This 
is,  of  course,  preferable,  as  by  this  means  more  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  old  cover  are  preserved. 


cut 


Lea^tKer 


When  the  back  is  clear  of  leather,  a  small  cut  about 
half  an  inch  long  is  made  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  each 
side,  at  the  ends  of,  and  at  right  angles  to,  the  first  cut; 
from  the  ends  of  the  short  cuts,  the  leather  is  again  cut 
at  right  angles  over  the  top  and  bottom  edges  of  the 
boards.     (Fig.   B.)     As  these  points,  near  the  top  and 

42 


bottom  of  the  Inside  hinges,  the  end-papers  pasted  on  the 
inside  of  the  boards  are  lifted  for  a  short  distance  so  that 
all  the  old  leather  under  them  can  be  removed. 

The  head-bands  should  then  be  examined  to  see  that 
they  are  firmly  in  place  and  any  missing  band  replaced, 
the  new  band  being  simply  glued  to  the  back  lining. 


A  sharp,  thin  knife  is  then  run  under  the  leather  of 
the  sides,  following  the  first  long  cut,  loosening  this  leather 
from  the  boards  for  about  half  an  inch  back  from  the  cut, 
this  distance  equalling  the  short  cuts  at  top  and  bottom. 
(Fig.  C.) 

The  book  is  now  ready  for  the  new  back.  This  is  cut 
from  the  leather  to  be  used,  in  width  equal  to  the  distance 

43 


over  the  back  and  hinges  plus  a  trifle  less  than  half  an 
inch  on  each  side,  and  in  height  to  project  half  an  inch 
beyond  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  book. 

This  leather  is  then  pared  thin  on  the  inside  for  about 
half  an  inch  all  around  the  edge.    Paring  requires  careful 


work  and  a  sharp  knife,  otherwise  the  piece  may  not  be 
pared  thin  enough  to  set  smoothly,  or  may  be  cut  through 
and  ruined. 

The  back  lining  of  the  book  itself,  and  the  inside  of 
the  new  back,  are  then  given  a  medium  thin  coat  of  paste, 
and  the  leather  set  evenly  in  place.  The  side  edges  of  the 
back  are  slipped  under  the  leather  of  the  sides  where  this 

44 


leather  was  loosened  from  the  boards  following  the  first, 
long  cut,  and  pasted  directly  on  the  boards.  (Fig.  D.) 
By  this  time  the  paste  on  the  top  and  bottom  ends  of  the 
back  will  be  dry.  These  are  given  another  coat  of  paste, 
one  at  a  time,  and  turned  under  upon  themselves,  starting 
in  the  middle,  the  corners  being  carried  over  the  edges  of 


Fi^.E 


the  boards  and  securely  pasted  down  inside  where  the  end 
papers  have  been  pushed  back.  The  top,  beyond  the 
boards,  is  tucked  in  behind  the  head-band.  When  the  top 
and  bottom  of  the  back  have  been  treated  in  this  way, 
they  are  then  flattened  with  a  folder  and  the  edges  of  the 
hinges  are  bent  in  to  form  the  head-cap  finish  observable 
on  almost  any  book  bound  by  hand  in  leather.  (Fig.  E.) 
The  tops  of  the  head-bands  may  require  a  slight  touch  of 

4S 


paste  so  that  the  leather  turned  over  upon  them  will  stay 
in  place. 

The  inside  end  papers,  where  they  were  lifted  at  the 
top  and  bottom  near  hinges,  are  then  pasted  down  over 
the  corners  of  the  new  back  which  are  folded  in  at  these 
points,  and  the  leather  lifted  from  the  sides  is  pasted  down 
over  the  side  edges  of  the  new  back  where  these  are  pasted 
directly  on  the  boards.  New  inside  hinges  of  paper  or 
cloth  may  be  added,  if  required ;  but  if  these  are  to  go  in 
they  are  best  set  in  place  before  the  new  back  is  pasted  on. 

The  new  back  being  in  place,  it  might  be  given  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  finish.  If  the  book  is  sewn  on  outside 
cords,  these  will  show  as  raised  bands  on  the  back,  and 
the  new  leather  is,  of  course,  moulded  over  these  when  it 
is  first  set  in  place.  In  such  a  case,  a  satisfactory,  plain 
finish  can  be  obtained  by  moulding  these  bands  distinctly. 
This  is  done  by  running  the  edge  of  the  folder  in  the 
angle  at  each  side  of  each  band  with  a  see-saw  motion. 
Experiment  will  show  how  this  may  give  a  smooth,  pol- 
ished line  on  each  side  of  the  bands  if  it  is  thoroughly  done 
with  fair  pressure  while  the  leather  is  still  moist  from 
the  paste  on  the  inside.  Before  attempting  any  such 
operations,  however,  the  outside  of  the  new  back  must  be 
washed  entirely  free  from  any  spots  of  paste. 

An  additional  "blind"  line  may  be  made  at  top  and 
bottom  across  the  back,  by  bending  over  the  back  a  straight 
piece  of  vellum  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  folder.     A 

46 


smooth  back  without  bands  may  be  finished  with  a  series 
of  double  or  single  lines  put  on  in  this  manner,  care 
being  taken  that  the  line  of  the  vellum  guide  is  at  right 
angles  to  the  side  edges  of  the  back. 

The  back  of  the  old  label,  if  this  is  to  be  used  again, 
is  then  scraped  and  the  label  pasted  on  in  its  proper  place 
between  bands;  or  a  new  label,  properly  lettered  in  gilt, 
may  be  ordered  from  a  binder. 

The  entire  work,  w^hen  almost  dry,  should  be  pressed 
over  with  a  hot  flat-iron  to  press  down  any  irregularities, 
the  edges  of  the  cut  leather  on  the  sides,  and  the  top  and 
bottom  finish  over  head-bands.  The  iron  must  be  well 
warmed  rather  than  hot.  If  too  hot,  it  will  lift  the  surface 
of  the  leather.  The  book  should  then  be  placed  under 
pressure  to  dry. 

For  the  operation  of  rebacking  one  needs  only  a  sharp, 
thin  knife,  a  ruler  or  straight  edge,  a  bone  folder  and  a 
small  flat-iron  in  the  way  of  tools.  A  small  press  is  de- 
sirable, but  not  necessary.     The  folder,  which  may  be 


Fi^.F 


3 


purchased  from  a  dealer  in  bookbinders'  supplies,  will  be 
furnished  with  square  ends ;  one  of  these  «nds  should  be 
sawed  off  on  an  angle  and  smoothed  with  a  file  to  give 
a  pointed  end,  which  will  be  found  very  useful.  (Fig.  F.) 
The  flat-iron  should"  be  wedge-shaped,  about  four  inches 

47 


long,  with  straight,  rounded  edges.  (Fig.  G.)  Irons  of 
this  kind  may  be  found  in  toy  shops,  and  will  be  found 
extremely  useful  and  easy  to  handle  in  all  small  repair 
operations. 

To  the  above  tools  may  be  added,  if  desired,  one  or 
two  small  tooling  irons  of  simple  design  for  blind  tooling. 
Such  irons  are  used  just  hot  enough  to  hiss  very  slightly 


when  touched  with  a  wet  cloth,  and  arc  pressed  firmly 
and  evenly  on  the  leather  for  two  or  three  seconds  to 
leave  a  good  impression. 

Books  bound  in  boards,  with  cloth  or  paper  backs, 
may  be  rebacked  with  cloth,  parchment,  or  even  with 
heavy  paper  in  facsimile  of  the  original  back.  In  the 
latter  case,  it  is  advisable  to  line  the  back  with  a  strip  of 
Japan  vellum,  which  should  extend  over  upon  the  boards 
under  the  new  paper  back.  Parchment  is  often  satisfactory 
and  requires  no  paring,  but  must  be  handled  carefully 
when  damp  from  paste,  or  it  will  stretch  out  of  shape. 

48 


CHAPTER  IV 

REPAIRING  OLD  BINDINGS 

Translated  From  Bonnardot 


foj  &y  ^^  ^1p 


o 


< 

w 
c 
o 


Not  having  the  secret  of  that  special,  certain  skill 
which  produces  flexible  and  artistic  bindings,  I  am  obliged 
to  advise  amateurs  who  wish  to  see  their  books  reclad  in 
princely  mantles,  to  apply  to  our  able  Parisian  binders. 
But  I  can  give,  from  my  own  experience,  some  good  sug- 
gestions to  amateurs  on  the  manner  of  cleaning,  repairing 
and  freshening  ordinary  morocco  bindings,  and  also,  under 
certain  conditions,  those  sumptuous  moroccos  of  the 
Levant,  the  mere  perfume  of  which  fascinates  all  true- 
born  bibliophiles. 

CLEANING  THE  COVER.  It  is  possible,  with- 
out being  obliged  to  touch  the  boards  of  a  book,  to  clean 
and  repair  the  covering,  either  entirely  or  in  spots.  To 
accomplish  this,  I  know  some  methods  which  are  simple 
and  practical,  although,  of  course,  too  imperfect  to  restore 
to  an  ancient  binding  all  the  brightness  and  vigor  of  its 
youth.    A  rather  mature  prima-donna  may,  perhaps,  within 

51 


certain  limits,  soften  the  ravages  of  time;  but,  when  ob- 
served closely,  the  lines  on  her  face  cannot  be  concealed. 
And  this  is  also  the  case  with  the  coquettish  old  bindings 
of  which  I  speak. 

Morocco  or  calf  which  has  become  soiled  by  constant 
handling  may  be  cleaned  with  a  fine  sponge  dipped  in  a 
jelly  of  white  soap.  If  there  are  spots  of  oil  or  grease, 
this  soap  will  not  suffice;  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  black 
soap,  or  perhaps  a  weak  solution  of  some  alkali,  such  as 
potash  or  ammonia.  In  using  such  alkalis,  it  is  best  to 
first  try  them  on  some  odd  pieces  of  leather  of  the  same 
color  or  upon  some  part  of  the  bindings  not  likely  to  be 
noticed,  because  certain  colors  in  leather  are  apt  to  de- 
compose or  change  their  tint  under  the  action  of  an  alkali. 
It  has  been  observed  that  alkalis  tend  to  darken  the 
leather,  more  or  less;  therefore,  after  employing  them,  a 
little  acidified  water  must  be  applied  to  neutralize  their 
effect.  Also  that  morocco  should  be  moistened  only  very 
slightly,  as,  otherwise,  the  surface  grain  may  be  smoothed 
away. 

One  might  begin  by  trying  benzine;  this  liquid  will 
not  attack  any  color  or,  at  least,  only  a  color  formed 
principally  of  fatty  or  resinous  substances.  Benzine  does 
not  act  like  an  alkali;  it  does  not  saponify  the  greasy 
body,  but  it  dissolves  it  as  water  dissolves  a  salt,  a  gum 
or  gelatine.  It  must  be  used  quickly,  as  it  evaporates  much 
more  rapidly  than  ammonia,  which  itself   is  considered 

52 


volatile.     The  latter  will  mix  with  water,  but  benzine 
combines  only  with  alcohol. 

Thus  benzine,  like  all  other  essential  oils,  operates  only 
as  a  dissolvent  and,  after  having  been  applied,  either  pure 
or  mixed  with  alcohol,  upon  the  book  cover,  it  must  be 
wiped  off  with  a  soft  cloth  before  it  evaporates,  so  that 
the  particles  of  grease  which  it  has  dissolved,  but  not 
decomposed,  will  not  sink  again  into  the  leather  and 
later  reappear  on  its  surface. 

The  best  method,  after  having  poured  some  drops  of 
the  liquid  upon  one  side  of  the  book,  is  to  turn  this  side 
toward  the  ground.  In  this  position  the  benzine,  charged 
with  part  of  the  greasy  substance,  will  run  down  and 
accumulate  upon  the  lowest  edge  of  the  cover,  from  which 
it  can  quickly  be  wiped  off  with  the  substances  it  holds 
in  solution.  Perhaps  an  even  better  method  of  operation 
may  be  discovered. 

This  manner  of  employing  benzine,  alcohol  or  turpen- 
tine as  dissolvents  for  the  greasy  body  is  equally  applicable 
for  removing  oily  spots  from  prints,  and  I  recommend  it 
to  the  reader  for  experiment.  When  grease  is  removed 
with  alkaline  water,  it  is  useless  to  proceed  in  this  man- 
ner; the  soapy  substance  which  forms  on  the  leather  after 
rubbing  should  be  removed  with  a  damp  sponge,  after 
which  the  book  should  be  dried  in  the  air  and  then  placed 
under  pressure.  § 

S3 


Fresh  spots  of  oil  or  grease  may  sometimes  be  removed 
by  impalpable  powders  of  some  clay-like  nature,  absorbent 
and  slightly  alkaline. 

A  spot  of  ordinary  black  ink  upon  morocco,  sheepskin, 
calf  or  smooth  parchment,  loses  its  color  when  touched 
with  a  few  drops  of  sorrel  salt  or  oxalic  acid ;  but  I  will 
repeat  here  the  advice  already  given  that  these  substances 
may  alter  certain  colors  and  that  it  is  best  to  first  try  them 
on  extra  pieces  of  leather.  If  the  tint  lightens  or  changes 
only  slightly,  the  spot  can  be  retoned  and  brightened  sim- 
ply with  properly  mixed  water-colors,  after  having  neu- 
tralized, with  an  alkali,  the  traces  of  the  acid. 

The  yellowish  spot  which  remains  after  the  black  ink 
has  disappeared  is  not  very  noticeable  upon  brown  or  yel- 
lowish skins,  but  on  vellum  or  parchment  it  is  more  or 
less  apparent.  How  can  this  be  removed?  For  if  one 
is  obliged  to  prolong  the  action  of  the  oxalic  acid  on  the 
iron  oxide  which  causes  it,  this  portion  of  the  skin  not 
only  loses  its  gloss,  but  also  becomes  subject  to  a  more  or 
less  rapid  process  of  dissolution.    (*) 

(*)  Bonnardot,  at  this  point,  discusses  in  considerable  detail 
various  opinions  as  to  the  removal  of  these  iron  oxide  stains, 
but  without  coming  to  any  definite  conclusion  except  that  they 
are  "of  all  stains,  the  most  tenacious."  Experiments  in  chem- 
istry, especially  upon  any  binding  of  value,  should  not  be  lightly 
undertaken.  The  use  of  water-colors  for  retinting  the  spot  of 
yellowish  bleach  might  be  tried  with  more  safety  and  a  greater 
possibility  of  success.  M.  S.  B. 

54 


When  the  spots  are  of  Chinese  ink,  old  or  recent,  and 
have  sunk  into  the  texture,  as  sometimes  happens,  they 
resist  all  known  agents. 

Most  of  the  old  bindings  which  have  been  long  exposed 
for  sale  on  the  parapets  of  our  quays,  have  been  at  one 
moment  roasted  by  an  ardent  sun  and  at  the  next  distended 
by  a  damp  atmosphere;  they  have,  therefore,  contracted 
**skin  troubles"  more  or  less  curable  according  to  the  dura- 
tion of  their  ordeal.  The  gentler  regimen  of  the  book- 
shelves, placed  in  a  room  where  the  temperature  is  more 
nearly  uniform,  sometimes  suffices  to  restore  their  warped 
covers;  but  when  the  surface  of  the  leather  has  fallen  off 
in  scales,  carrying  away  the  gold  tooling,  it  is  better,  if 
they  are  worthy  of  it,  to  deliver  them  to  the  binder  for 
new  covers;  that  is,  of  course,  when  the  paper,  the 
essential  organ  of  their  existence,  is  not  musty  beyond  re- 
covery. If  the  paper  is  in  bad  shape,  the  book  is  lost 
or,  at  least,  is  beyond  giving  pleasure  to  a  bibliophile;  it 
resembles  a  very  old  man  attacked  by  an  incurable  disease ; 
it  is  useful  only  for  reference. 

Some  books,  placed  in  less  rude  conditions,  have  only 
the  skin  stripped  here  and  there  by  contact  with  rougher 
neighbors  trimmed  with  nails  or  clasps,  with  hard  boards 
or  with  wicker-work,  but  movement  against  these  objects 
might  ruin  an  entire  library  in  a  single  day.  The  library 
of  the  Louvre,  it  might  be  mentioned,  was  being  moved 
last  spring  to  a  new  location,  by  means  of  these  wicker 

55 


baskets  so  formidable  despite  the  straw  or  oakum  with 
which  they  were  lined.  Some  of  my  own  books  have 
passed  several  times  through  this  fatal  ordeal  and  have 
suffered  greatly  from  it.  Now  when  I  change  my  resi- 
dence I  use,  with  rather  tardy  precaution,  well-planed 
boxes. 

Books  slightly  roughened,  their  bloom  destroyed 
simply  by  friction,  may  be  freshened  and  restored  to  an 
aspect  of  health  to  conceal,  up  to  a  certain  point,  the  wear 
of  their  old  coverings.  With  an  old  glove  one  may  spread 
over  their  surface  a  little  flour  paste  or  fairly  thick  starch 
to  which  a  little  alum  might  be  added.  This  is  smeared 
quickly  over  the  back,  sides  and  edges  of  the  boards,  and 
the  surplus  wiped  off  with  a  soft  cloth.  This  carries 
away  any  dust  which  may  have  been  deposited  and  also 
soilings  which  soften  in  the  moisture*  (*) 

After  this  operation,  there  w^ill  remain  on  the  volume 
a  thin  coating  of  gelatine  or  of  gluten  (the  viscous  part 
of  the  starch).  Before  this  has  entirely  dried,  it  should 
be  thoroughly  wiped  over  with  the  palm  of  the  hand.  Any 
scraped  portions  of  the  leather  will  have  a  dull  appearance 
and  will  sometimes  show  darker  than  other  parts  of  the 
cover.     The  edges  of  stripped  or  broken  spots  may  be 

(♦)  Certain  bindings  of  the  sixteenth  century  have  on  their 
covers  designs  in  tint  formed  simply  of  water  colors.  In  such 
cases,  the  flour  paste  should  not  be  used,  or  else  the  designs 
should  fixst  be  accurately  traced  so  that  they  can  be  restored,  if 
necessary,  after  the  operation. 

56 


refastened  to  the  cover  by  means  of  the  starch  sizing.  The 
corners  which,  nearly  always,  will  be  found  woriv  or  bent, 
may  be  straightened  and  strengthened.  In  a  word,  if  the 
cover  cannot  be  restored  to  pass  as  new,  it  may  at  least 
be  rendered  more  presentable  and  made  to  contrast  more 
favorably  with  other  books  it  may  meet  upon  the  shelf. 

After  a  washing  with  starch,  as  after  cleaning  with 
alkalis,  it  often  happens  that  the  covers  of  a  book  are 
dulled.  Their  polish,  where  the  bloom  has  not  been  worn 
away,  can  be  restored  by  rubbing  with  a  piece  of  flannel 
moistened  with  a  few  drops  of  very  siccative  varnish  (pur- 
chased from  art  dealers  or  dealers  in  bookbinders* 
materials). 

Most  amateurs  and  binders  know  this  inexpensive  way 
of  restoring  a  certain  lustre  to  faded  and  erupted,  if  one 
may  use  that  expression,  bindings.  If  I  have  spoken 
rather  in  detail,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  amateurs  still  inex- 
perienced or  living  in  a  small,  provincial  town.  As  these 
latter  probably  would  not  know  where  to  procure  varnish, 
I  offer  the  recipe  of  M.  F.  Mairet,  which  indicates  the 
proportions  for  a  large  quantity  but  which  may  be  divided 
by  ten.  In  the  thirty-ninth  part  of  his  "Essay  Upon 
Binding'  he  says:  Dissolve  eight  ounces  of  sandarach 
(resin),  two  ounces  of  mastic  in  drops,  eight  ounces  of 
gum-lac  in  tablets  and  two  ounces  of  Venetian  turpen- 
tine,   in   three   litres    (quarts)    of   spirits   of   wine   at   a 

57 


temperature  of  thirty-six  to  forty  degrees.  (*).  Crush  the 
gums  and,  to  completely  dissolve  them,  place  the  bottle 
which  contains  them  in  the  wine,  in  hot  water,  shaking  it 
from  time  to  time.  This  varnish  can  be  preserved  in  the 
bottle  in  which  it  is  made,  keeping  the  bottle  tightly 
corked.  When  one  wishes  to  use  the  varnish,  the  bottle 
should  not  be  shaken  because  of  the  deposit  which  forms. 

I  will  here  make  a  recommendation  analogous  to  that 
of  M.  Le  Normand ;  it  is  desirable  to  place  the  glass  bottle 
in  a  basin  containing  warm  water  before  placing  it  in  the 
very  hot  water,  as  otherwise  it  may  break.  Also,  instead 
of  shaking  the  bottle,  the  contents  may  be  stirred  with  a 
glass  rod. 

This  is  how  M.  Mairet  describes  the  use  of  his  varnish ; 
with  a  very  soft  brush,  the  varnish  is  spread  over  the 
covers  of  the  book  without  putting  it  on  the  gilding. 
When  it  is  nearly  dry,  it  is  polished  with  a  piece  of  white 
cloth  slightly  moistened  with  olive  oil.  It  should  first  be 
rubbed  gently,  then  with  more  force  as  the  varnish  dries. 
For  complete  success  it  is  essential  that  the  covers  be  per- 
fectly dry  (f )  and  without  the  slightest  dampness. 

Instead  of  using  this  varnish,  one  may  give  a  fair 
polish  which,  however,  is  not  so  enduring,  by  coating  with 
the  liquid  known  as  **glaire."  This  is  made  from  the 
white   of    an    egg    beaten    up   with    a    little    water    and 

(*)  Centigrade,  i.  e.  ninety-seven  to  one  hundred  and  four 
degrees  Fahrenheit.  M.  S.  B. 

(t)    At  the  beginning.  M.  S.  B. 

58 


alcohol.  (*)     One  might  also  try  a  glaze  made  with  hide 
glue  or  gum-arabic. 

The  lustre  of  white  vellum  or  of  calf,  when  they  have 
not  been  badly  rubbed  by  use,  may  be  restored  by  rubbing 
with  an  agate  burnisher,  a  polished  bone  or  a  curved  iron 
slightly  warmed.  Sometimes,  before  polishing,  according 
to  M.  Le  Normand,  the  covers  should  be  rubbed  with 
flannel  holding  a  little  tallow  or  walnut  oil.  (f)  Great 
care  should  be  taken  in  polishing  morocco,  whether 
genuine  or  imitation,  in  order  that  the  grain  which  con- 
tributes so  much  to  its  beauty  may  not  be  rubbed  away. 
The  surface  of  sheep  also,  which  is  a  very  delicate  leather, 
is  easily  stripped.  To  polish  leathers  such  as  these,  bind- 
ers' varnish  or,  at  least,  the  glaire  mentioned  above,  should 
be  used. 

REPAIRING  HOLES  AND  BROKEN  SUR- 
FACES. We  will  now  consider  any  serious  wounds  which 
go  deeper  than  the  surface  of  the  leather.  One  often  sees 
covers  of  calf,  sheep  or  morocco  deeply  stripped  or  even 
pierced  like  the  coats  of  Diogenes  and  Ruy-Blas;  the  back, 

(*)  The  best  modern  practice  in  making  glaire  is  to  beat  up 
the  white  of  an  egg  with  about  half  its  quantity  of  vinegar, 
allowing  the  mixture  to  stand  over  night  This  mixture,  cov- 
ered, will  keep  for  several  days,  or  until  it  gets  thick  and 
cloudy.  M.  S.  B. 

(t)  Unbroken  surfaces  of  white  vellum  can  easily  be  cleaned 
with  a  soft  pencil-eraser.  A  vellum  binding  which  is  "tack/' 
may  be  rubbed  over  with  powdered  soapstone  after  cleaning. 

M.  S.  B. 

59 


the  sides  and  corners,  especially  the  lower  ones,  broken 
away  even  to  the  point  of  exposing  the  boards.  This  is  a 
state  of  cynicism  which  calls  for  some  remedy;  the  simple 
smearing  on  of  starch  is  powerless  to  heal  such  damages. 

It  is  often  possible  to  restore  missing  fragments  by 
means  of  new  pieces  of  the  same  kind  and  tint  of  leather. 
I  will  assume  that  the  amateur  possesses  a  collection  of 
odd  scraps  of  morocco,  brown  calf,  old  vellum,  etc., 
removed  with  more  or  less  right  from  books  whose  pages 
have  been  unfortunately  ruined,  to  be  devoted  to  more 
humiliating  uses.  These  should  be  searched  for  a  suitable 
piece;  sometimes  this  is  found.  The  essential  point  is  to 
match  the  grain  of  the  leather.  When  the  tint  is  too 
light,  it  can  easily  be  darkened  with  water-colors;  when 
it  is  too  dark,  one  must  search  further.  One  may,  how- 
ever, lighten  a  little  piece  of  calf  which  is  too  dark  by 
means  of  very  weak  acid. 

Suppose  the  desired  patdh  found.  The  hole  or  broken 
place  in  the  cover  is  cleaned  and  the  edge  cut  sharp  to 
prevent  further  tearing,  and  in  this  is  set  a  piece  from  the 
patch,  cut  exactly  to  fit.  If  the  amateur  has  not  time  to  do 
this  careful  mosaic  patching,  he  may,  with  a  small,  thin 
blade,  raise  the  edges  of  the  leather  about  the  hole  and, 
applying  paste  or  glue  directly  to  the  board,  slip  in  a 
patch  piece  which  has  been  roughly  cut  a  little  larger  than 
the  hole  and  pared  thin  around  the  edges.  The  edges  of 
the  hole  should  then  be  moistened  with  paste  and  firmly 

60 


pressed  down  into  place  over  the  patch.  A  patch  made 
in  this  way  is  less  agreeable  to  the  eye  than  when  made  by 
the  first  process,  for  by  this  latter  method  there  always 
remains  a  sort  of  raised  pad  which  accents  the  form  of  the 
hole. 

Let  us  consider  now  the  repair  of  bruises,  more  or  less 
deep,  caused  by  rough  contact  with  some  hard,  sharp  or 
rough  body. 

When  the  stripped  parts  are  still  hanging  to  the  cover, 
they  should  be  straightened  out  and  pressed  back  into 
place  after  being  given  a  light  coat  of  thick  starch  paste. 
But  if  the  stripped  parts  corresponding  to  the  bruise  are 
missing,  how  shall  the  furrow,  which  reveals  a  spongy 
appearance,  be  brought  up  level  with  the  surface  of  the 
cover?  With  a  corresponding  patch  inserted  in  the  fis- 
sure? This  is  an  operation,  I  think,  very  difficult  to 
carry  out,  and  it  is  simpler  to  cut  the  furrow  into  a  defi- 
nite hole  if  one  wishes  to  proceed  in  this  way.  Let  us  try 
and  imagine  some  kind  of  putty  for  such  repairs. 

I  do  not  wish  to  write  hastily  of.  any  method  of  pro- 
cedure for  the  fabrication  of  bruised  leather,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  a  paste  or  putty  formed  of  powdered  or 
shredded  leather,  boiled  with  a  little  flour  paste,  would 
answer  our  purpose.  With  this  one  could  fill  up  the  fur- 
row and  then,  when  the  paste  has  dried,  scrape  off  the 
excess  surface  and  burnish  the  dried  inlay.  This  method 
should  answer  very  well,  but  there  is  still  another  which 

61 


I  have  tried,  although  it  is  not  so  delicate.  I  employed 
flour  paste  mixed  simply  with  Spanish  white  (*).  With 
this,  I  puttied  up  my  book  like  a  picture  in  process  of  being 
retouched.  I  even  succeeded,  with  this  paste,  in  imitating 
the  grain  of  the  morocco.  I  tinted  the  patches  by  apply- 
ing color  mixed  with  gum.  But  this  sort  of  repair  is  only 
applicable  to  parts  of  the  cover  away  from  the  edges;  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  hinges,  this  unelastic  paste  will 
break  loose  or,  at  least,  render  the  book  difficult  to  open. 

I  experimented  also  with  gutta-percha.  This  brown- 
ish substance  has  the  property,  at  a  certain  temperature 
(towards  seventy  degrees)  (f)  of  melting  and  adhering 
to  the  leather  and,  on  cooling,  recovers  its  natural,  semi- 
elastic  state.  But  after  having  been  melted  at  a  fire  or, 
if  the  season  is  right,  by  sunlight  through  a  lens,  it  turns 
brown  and  will  not  harmonize  in  tint  except  with  very 
dark  calf,  and  I  have  found  no  method  of  lightening  it. 

We  will  now  speak  of  repairing  and  patching  the 
cover  in  those  parts  which  serve  as  hinges.  This  is  an 
operation  practicable  only  when  a  substance  very  thin  and 
supple  can  be  found.  I  have  succeeded  in  restoring  this 
part  of  a  book  by  using  a  strip  of  gold-beaters  skin,  slipped 
between  the  back  and  the  side  and  fastened,  on  one  part, 
to  the  edge  of  the  side  and,  on  the  other,  to  the  boards 

(*)   Whiting  (chalk)  used  as  a  pigment.  M.  S.  B. 

(t)   One  hundred  and  fifty-eight  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

M.  S.  B. 

62 


lining  the  back.  I  then  gave  to  this  skin  a  tint  corre- 
sponding to  that  of  the  cover.  The  break  remained  visible ; 
I  only  reconnected  the  parts  so  that  the  book  could  be 
opened  and  closed.  (*) 

Would  one  succeed  better  by  using  a  thin  piece  of 
rubber?  I  have  never  tried  this,  but  this  substance,  I 
believe,  could  not  be  obtained  in  very  thin  sheets  except 
by  being  considerably  stretched,  a  process  w^hich  would 
soon  destroy  the  elasticity  vi^hich  is  its  essential  quality. 
Perhaps  the  broken  hinges  of  a  dark  calf  book  could  be 
joined  without  great  difficulty  by  means  of  the  liquefied 
gutta-percha  mentioned  above. 

I  have  sometimes  repaired  the  corners  of  a  volume  with 
more  or  less  success.  In  cases  where  the  damage  was 
slight,  after  having  loosened  the  paper  on  the  inside  of  the 
cover  at  the  corner,  either  with,  or  without,  moistening 

(*)  This  operation  does  not  seem  entirely  clear,  but  the 
idea  is  evidently  to  fold  a  thin  strip  of  the  skin  into  a  "V"  shape, 
inserting  the  strip,  folded  edge  up  or  down,  as  the  condition  of 
the  hinge  may  require,  into  the  broken  hinge  all  along  its 
length,  gluing  the  arms  of  the  "V,"  one  to  the  back  and  one 
to  the  cover  to  form  a  new,  folded  hinge.  The  operator  will 
probably  find,  however,  that  when  the  hinges  of  a  book  are 
broken  through  a  better  and  more  lasting  procedure  is  to  reback 
the  book.  Gold-beaters  skin  is  the  outside  membrane  of  the 
large  intestine  of  the  ox,  properly  prepared.  Where  the  hinges 
of  a  book  are  broken,  it  is  better  to  provide  new  leather  hinges, 
using  strips  about  half  an  inch  wide  slipped  in  under  the 
broken  edges  and  carried  over  the  edge  of  the  boards  at  top 
and  bottom.  Raise  the  broken  edges,  for  the  proper  distance, 
from  back  and  boards,  and  paste  down  again  over  the  new 
hinge.  M.  S.  B. 

63 


it,  I  pushed  back  the  damaged  skin  for  a  short  distance, 
then  glued  upon  the  board  over  the  corner  a  fragment  of 
leather  of  the  same  kind  and  tint,  pared  thin,  then  pressed 
down  the  rough  edges  and  fashioned  the  new  corner  by 
moistening  the  leather.  Then,  having  replaced  the  broken 
edges  of  the  original  leather,  I  recolored  the  patch  to  an 
exact  match.  (*) 

When  the  leather  at  the  corner  is  entirely  dilapidated 
an  entirely  new  corner  of  triangular  form  should  be  sup- 
plied, pasted  down  level  with  the  leather  on  the  cover, 
which  has  been  cut  away  smoothly  where  the  new  corner 
is  joined  on.  If  the  corner  of  the  board  is  itself  tattered, 
it  can  be  stiffened  by  the  use  of  paste  or  glue,  thoroughly 
soaked  in  and  left  to  dry.  A  little  Spanish  white  might 
be  added  to  the  paste  to  give  it  more  solidity. 

But  when  the  angle  of  the  corner  is  entirely  rounded, 
weakened  and  demolished  by  use,  it  should  be  renewed  by 
incorporating  an  entirely  new  corner  on  the  board.  To 
fasten  this  securely,  the  edge  of  the  board  should  be  cut 
across  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  then  split,  and  the 
upper  half  cut  away  for  a  short  distance  back.  The  new 
triangular  piece  for  the  corner  is  also  notched  underneath 

(*)  To  prevent  wear  on  the  lower  corners  and  edges  of 
books  in  the  library,  strips  of  velvet  may  be  laid  along  the 
shelves  under  the  books.  If  this  is  done,  the  little  extra  care 
required  in  removing  and  replacing  the  books  without  wrinkling 
up  the  velvet  will  be  more  than  offset  by  the  protection  which 
the  velvet  gives.  M.  S.  B. 

64 


to  correspond  so  that  the  two  patches  will  superimpose 
and  exactly  fit.  Here  one  makes  use  of  strong  paste  or 
glue.  This  operation  is  not  difficult  but  it  requires  time 
and  patience,  for  a  considerable  amount  of  leather  must 
be  raised  from  the  board  and  then  replaced.  If  one  is  not 
endowed  with  patience,  it  is  better  to  turn  this  work  over 
to  a  binder,  otherwise  one  will  work  to  no  purpose  and 
will  damage  his  book  instead  of  restoring  it. 

REPAIRING  EDGES.  To  remove  a  *spot  of  ink  or 
color  from  the  edges  of  a  book,  the  substance  described  for 
similar  operations  on  pages  or  prints  may  be  used.  How- 
ever, there  is  this  distinction;  here  one  is  not  concerned 
with  the  surface  of  a  single  sheet  but  with  a  great  many 
page-edges  one  after  another.  If  the  edges  to  be  cleaned  are 
not  placed  under  pressure,  the  liquids,  penetrating  between 
them,  will  stain  the  pages  themselves.  If,  however,  the 
ink  itself  has  thus  spread  into  the  pages,  it  might  be 
desirable  to  send  the  dissolving  liquid  over  the  same  route. 
In  this  case,  it  will  be  necessary  to  efface  from  each  page 
the  moisture  following  the  application  of  the  remedy,  and 
this  requires  careful  work. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  the  spot  soils  merely  the  surface 
of  the  edges,  the  volume  should  be  placed  under  pressure 
in  such  a  position  that  the  edges  to  be  cleaned  stand  verti- 
cal; then,  with  a  small  brush,  the  necessary  liquid  may  be 
applied.     The  spot  removed    (supposing  that  it  is  of  a 

65 


nature  which  may  be  decomposed)  it  is  necessarj^  in  some 
cases,  to  restore  the  general  tint  of  the  edges;  this  is  not 
a  very  difficult  matter,  at  least  when  they  are  not  marbled. 
When  the  edges  are  gilt,  the  gold  is  not  usually  attacked 
and  naturally  resists  the  action  of  the  chemical  agents; 
the  ink  or  other  spot  can  thus  be  removed  without  neces- 
sitating the  restoration  of  the  gold  afterward.  A  spot 
may  sometimes  be  removed  with  a  dampened  sponge.  (*) 
Even  Chinese  ink,  a  black  which  will  not  decompose,  is 
often  susceptible  to  this  gentle  procedure  by  means  of 
which  it  may  be  wiped  away. 

Let  us  now  suppose  that  the  edges  are  free  from  spots 
but  that  they  are  faded,  and  partly  discolored.  It  is 
easy  enough  to  brighten  the  colors  if  they  are  not  too  com- 
plicated; I  will  add;  and  provided  the  pages  are  not 
unequal,  with  some  advanced  and  some  drawn  back, 
destroying  the  general  level,  for,  in  this  case,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  begin  by  repairing  the  back  without  separating  the 
volume;  an  almost  impossible  operation,  (f)  The  color 
brightened,  it  may  be  repolished  with  an  agate  burnisher 
while  the  edges  are  held  closely  pressed  together.  If 
edges,  not  colored,  but  gilt,  have  been  damaged  here  and 
there  by  use,  perfect  restoration  is  impracticable.  A  new 
patch  of  gold  applied  over  the  worn  spot  contrasts  in 

(*)  Gilding,  especially  if  modern,  is  apt  to  soften  and  come 
off  if  rubbed  with  water.  M.  S.  B. 

(t)  See  my  remarks  on  lining  up  with  Japan  vellum  in  the 
chapter  on  General  Restoration.  M.  S.  B. 

66 


freshness  and  polish  with  the  rest  of  the  surface  and,  at 
the  points  where  it  necessarily  overlaps  the  perfect  parts, 
the  excess  gold  remains  noticeable.  Undoubtedly,  the 
best  procedure  is  to  have  the  whole  surface  regilded  by  a 
prefessional  gilder. 

If  one  has  gone  to  the  trouble  of  brightening  the  edges, 
one  may  desire  to  complete  the  restoration  by  renewing  the 
head-bands.  I  have  never  had  patience  enough  to  make  a 
head-band,  a  kind  of  needle- work  which  belongs  particu- 
larly to  the  bookbinders'  trade.  The  amateur  should  have 
recourse  to  a  binder  for  this  or,  if  he  wishes  to  attempt 
the  work  himself,  consult  any  of  the  books  published  on 
binding. 

RESTORING  THE  GILDING.  (*)  It  is  some- 
times necessary  to  brighten,  patch  and  partially  replace  the 
gilt  ornaments  of  a  precious  book.  In  cleaning  a  book,  as  I 
have  described  above,  with  soap-jelly  or  starch  paste,  the 
gold  is  not  affected  if  the  operation  is  carried  out  according 
to  directions;  on  the  contrary,  one  lifts  from  the  gold  the 
deposit  of  dirt  which  deadens  its  brilliancy.  But  if  it  has 
been,  at  some  points,  destroyed  by  the  breaks  in  the  leather, 

(*)  In  this  place,  Bonnardot  gives  a  few  simple  suggestions 
for  repairing  broken  fragments  of  the  gold  tooling.  The 
amateur  is  cautioned  not  to  attempt  the  application  of  hot  gild- 
ing tools  and  gold  leaf  to  any  binding  for  which  he  has  any 
regard  unless  he  has  carefully  prepared  himself  by  thoroughly 
studying  the  detailed  directions  for  this  work  which  may  be 
found  in  text-books  on  binding,  and  by  extensive  practice  on 
odd  pieces  of  various  leathers.  M.  S.  B. 

t1 


it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  restore  the  gold,  to  refinish  the 
leather  at  the  broken  point.  Here  a  considerable  difficulty 
presents  itself,  and  it  is  necessary  to  find  a  filler  which 
will  serve  as  a  base.  Gutta-percha  will  not  answer  at 
such  points,  except  for  cold  gilding,  as  the  application  of 
a  warm  gilding  iron  would  liquefy  it.  The  only  satisfac- 
tory solution  is  to  inlay  with  leather. 

I  have  sometimes  succeeded  in  restoring  missing  spots 
of  gilding  by  the  simple  employment  of  gilt  paint,  laid 
with  a  fine  brush  upon  the  properly  prepared  patch,  imitat- 
ing carefully  each  missing  part  of  the  ornamentation.  This 
kind  of  joining,  however,  lacks  brilliance  and  solidity; 
wiping  with  a  damp  sponge  is  sufficient  to  effact  it;  but 
it  may  be  given  a  little  more  permanency  by  a  coat  of 
binders'  varnish. 

I  can  suggest  a  less  imperfect  method  of  procedure. 
Where  there  are  thin  lines  or  figures  such  as  circles  to 
join,  the  amateur  can  do  this  with  home-made  tools.  Such 
tools  may  be  made  of  small  brass  wire,  some  straight  edges 
and  others  curved  like  gouges.  (*)  He  should  also  have 
small  dots  of  various  sizes,  circular  or  oval  in  profile. 
With  these  simple  elements,  most  line  designs  may  be 
patched.  The  ground  properly  prepared,  the  warm  iron 
tool  to  be  used  is  applied  upon  fragments  of  gold-leaf. 

(*)  All  set,  of  course,  in  wooden  or  pottery  handles.  Wooden 
handles  for  such  tools,  or  the  tools  themselves,  may  be  procured 
at  moderate  prices  from  dealers  in  bookbinders'  materials. 

M.  S.  B. 

68 


The  iron  should  be  a  little  hotter  than  boiling  water; 
otherwise  it  will  not  fix  the  gold  in  place.  If  too  hot,  it 
will  burn  the  leather.  Gilders  test  the  heat  of  an  iron  by 
touching  it  with  a  wet  finger,  and  are  able  to  tell,  by  the 
sizzle  and  amount  of  vapor  given  off,  whether  the  degree 
of  heat  is  right.  A  more  simple  method,  for  the  amateur, 
is  to  try  the  iron  on  a  fragment  of  leather.  (*)  The 
excess  of  gold  not  pressed  in  by  the  iron  may  be  wiped  off 
with  a  fragment  of  woolen  cloth. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  restore  a  complicated  ornament 
upon  an  ancient  and  very  precious  binding,  special  irons 
must  be  cut,  using  the  tooling  still  in  place  as  a  guide. 
With  patience  and  skill,  one  may  fashion  these  for  him- 
self. The  required  ornamentation  is  traced  from  another 
spot  where  it  is  still  intact  on  the  binding,  with  a  brush 
holding  resin  varnish  or  wax.  This  tracing,  which 
naturally  leaves  an  imprint  in  reverse,  is  applied  to  a 
piece  of  copper,  and  the  design  retouched  on  the  copper 

(*)  The  impression  should  first  be  made  on  the  leather  by 
the  hot  tool,  without  gold,  and  painted  wtih  glaire.  When  the 
glaire  is  nearly  dry,  a  fragment  of  gold-leaf  is  picked  up  on  a 
pad  of  cotton  wool  slightly  touched  with  cocoanut  oil  and  pressed 
down  on  the  blind  impression  of  the  tool.  The  tool  is  then 
pressed  into  its  former  impression,  setting  the  gold.  The 
process  is  very  delicate;  the  tool  must  be  perfectly  clean  and 
the  gold-leaf,  which  is  very  difficult  to  handle,  worked  from  a 
padded  cloth  dusted  with  brick-dust,  or  a  similar  substance,  to 
prevent  the  leaf  from  adhering  there  while  it  is  being  cut  to  the 
proper  size.  M.  S.  B. 

69 


with  the  same  varnish  or  wax.  (*)  The  other  faces  of 
the  cube  or  cylinder  of  copper  used  are  coated,  and  the 
copper  placed  in  a  bath  of  azotic  acid.  The  acid  will  eat 
the  metal  not  protected  as  above,  leaving  the  ornament 
standing  out  in  relief,  something  after  the  manner  of  a 
stereotype  plate.  Or,  the  electro-chemical  procedure  of 
stereotyping  may  be  used  to  the  same  end. 

By  the  aid  of  a  form  obtained  in  some  such  manner 
as  the  above,  it  is  possible  to  restore  the  effaced  ornaments, 
provided  that  the  leather  is  prepared  to  receive  and  hold 
the  gold.  Let  me  note  in  passing  that  it  is  difficult  for 
inexperienced  amateurs  to  set  gold  smoothly;  only  long 
practice  will  make  this  possible.  Necessarily,  the  very 
thin  gold  leaf  always  covers  and  reaches  beyond  the  spot 
to  be  tooled.  It  is  essential  that  the  iron  be  pressed 
exactly  upon  the  spot  intended  to  receive  it,  which  is  very 
difficult  to  accomplish.  Moreover,  the  gold  must  be  kept 
smooth  and  fresh  over  the  entire  impression.  Perhaps  one 
might  substitute  for  the  gold  leaf  a  coat  of  gold  powder 
spread  over  the  design,  which  should  be  coated  w^ith  albu- 
minous paste  (glaire)  to  hold  the  powder. 

One  sometimes  wishes,  also,  to  rectify  a  defective  title 
or  erroneous  date  on  the  binding.  The  simplest  method 
is  to  stamp  the  desired  lettering  or  date  on  an  odd  bit  of 
leather,  which  is  then  applied  to  the  book.    The  amateur 

(♦)  Wax  would,  of  course,  be  used  hot.  M.  S.  B. 

70 


may  do  this  himself  If  he  has  the  necessary  letter,  a  form 
to  hold  them,  and  a  certain  amount  of  skill. 

Suppose  a  case  where,  in  a  title  anciently  gilt  and 
which  one  wishes  to  preserve,  there  is  a  single  letter  or  a 
single  character  to  change.  It  is  first  necessary  to  eflace 
the  letter  or  character  to  be  replaced.  To  do  this,  it  is 
touched  with  a  drop  of  alcohol ;  on  wiping  it,  the  varnish 
which  may  have  covered  the  gold  is  removed.  If  the  gold 
resists  thorough  rubbing,  chemical  compositions  may  be 
tried.  I  would  not  advise,  however,  the  use  of  aqua- 
regia,  the  infallible  dissolvent  of  gold,  because  It  would 
disorganize  the  leather.  I  think  that  a  drop  of  mercury, 
applied  hot  upon  a  letter  by  means  of  an  Iron  or  sun- 
rays  through  a  lens,  would  absorb  and  amalgamate  the 
metallic  particles.  In  any  case,  there  would  still  remain 
a  moulded  impression  which  might  be  removed,  I  think, 
by  swelling  the  leather  at  that  spot  by  means  of  a  jet  of 
steam  applied  through  a  very  narrow  glass  tube.  (*) 

The  impression  effaced,  or  at  least  reduced,  one  may 
proceed  to  replace  the  corrected  letter.  For  this,  a  letter 
or  figure  matching  the  others  in  size  and  character  must 
be  secured.  Sometimes  it  is  necessary  for  the  amateur  to 
make   this   himself.     This  can   be   done   by   securing   a 

(*)  As  mentioned  in  a  note  above,  gold  may  often  be 
loosened  by  merely  removing  the  varnish  and  thoroughly  moist- 
ening with  water,  after  which  the  metal  may  be  coaxed  out  with 
a  thin,  smooth,  wooden  splinter,  preferably  wound  on  the  end 
with   a   bit  of  cotton   wool.  M.  S.  B. 

71 


fragment  of  rolled  copper  and,  with  the  aid  of  small 
pincers,  fashioning  the  profile  of  the  desired  letter  on  its 
edge.  The  thickness  of  the  metal  would  form  the  thick- 
ness of  the  letter's  face;  strokes  required  slender  may  be 
pared  with  a  knife.  With  a  little  care  and  skill,  the 
desired  character  may  be  produced.  The  bit  of  metal 
is  then  set  in  a  handle  of  plaster  or  clay,  which  is  allowed 
to  dry  and  harden. 

TRANSFERRING  ANCIENT  COVERS.  Is  it 
possible  to  transfer  the  covers  of  works  richly  bound,  but 
valueless  inside,  to  the  boards  of  other  books  more  pre- 
cious in  their  text  and  more  deserving  of  the  transferred 
binding?  Some  of  our  binders  have  replied  in  the 
affirmative. 

Many  a  volume  has  retained  virginal  the  splendour  of 
its  original  binding  simply  because  the  text  has  been  tire- 
some and  insipid.  In  this  class  appear  certain  volumes 
of  indigestible  theology,  ''Sacred  works  and  not  to  be 
touched,"  as  Voltaire  remarked,  and  those  odes  of  court- 
flattery,  insipidly  rhymed  in  doggerel,  in  aristocratic 
liveries,  addressed  to  high  personages  who  paid  for  them 
but  who  never  read  them.  From  books  of  such  sorts,  one 
may,  without  remorse,  lift  the  precious  coverings.  How- 
ever, to  make  use  of  them,  it  is  necessary  that  all  their 
dimensions  correspond  with  the  new  volumes  on  which  it 
is  proposed  to  place  them.  The  old  books  in  good  condition 

72 


are  easily  despoiled  when  there  is  no  need  to  be  care- 
ful of  the  cording,  the  fly  leaves  or  the  boards.  The  proc- 
ess requiring  the  most  time  is  that  of  scraping  away  the 
dry  paste  which  adheres  here  and  there  to  the  inside  of 
the  leather  after  its  removal.  I  have  re-covered  more  than 
one  quarto  in  covers  of  gold  tooled  vellum  lifted  from 
books  of  the  same  format.  When  the  back  was  too  nar- 
row or  too  wide,  I  replaced  this  part,  but  then  the  cover 
was  formed  of  three  pieces.  When  the  back  was  of  the 
right  width,  I  effaced  the  old  title,  generally  lettered  in 
ink,  by  means  of  sorrel-salt,  and  inscribed  the  new  title 
in  the  same  place  but  with  Chinese  ink.  Where  the  old 
title  happened  to  be  gilt,  I  covered  it  with  a  new  piece  of 
skin,  finding  it  too  laborious  to  efface  all  the  letters  by 
the  process  mentioned  above. 

Let  us  suppose  it  is  necessary  to  replace  upon  a  rare 
volume,  changing  only  the  boards,  the  old  contemporary 
binding  which  covered  it.  If  the  skin  is  worn  on  the 
edges  and  corners  and  at  the  hinges,  removing  it  without 
injury  from  the  old  boards  is  a  very  delicate  operation. 
However,  it  may  be  done,  even  without  moistening  the 
leather,  by  using  the  skill  and  patience  which  both  come 
from  practice.  Our  binders,  in  cases  where  expense  has 
not  been  in  consideration,  have  executed  more  than  one 
feat  of  this  kind.  Only,  nearly  always,  they  are  obliged 
to  renew  the  parts  injured  by  use  and  the  end  papers. 
They  apply,  here  and  there,  to  the  new  boards  bits  of 

7^ 


leather  matching  the  tint  of  the  old,  reset  the  preserved 
cover,  still  charged  with  the  rich  ornaments  which  con- 
stitute its  value  and,  upon  the  portions  renewed,  restore 
the  gilding  after  the  model  of  that  which  they  have  before 
them.  More  than  one  binder  has  succeeded,  with  great 
skill,  in  placing  upon  a  new  foundation  the  splendid  cover 
of  a  very  rare  book  without  being  obliged  to  go  to  the 
regrettable  extreme  of  a  second  sewing  and  trimming.  It 
is  even  possible,  w^ith  the  exercise  of  great  care,  to  clean 
the  sheets,  one  by  one,  and  repair  the  torn  and  missing 
places,  without  separating  the  book;  but  one  can  see  that 
such  restorations  are  a  matter  of  expense  and  not  suitable 
except  for  books  of  considerable  value.  I  believe  that  there 
exist  in  Paris  binders  of  sufficient  skill  to  replace  a  cover 
"in  octavo,"  transposing  it  without  injury  to  the  volume 
and  without  leaving  the  least  trace  of  this  difficult 
operation. 


74 


CHAPTER  V 
REBINDING 


SOLANDER  SLIP-CASE 


In  Chapter  Thirteen  of  his  Essai,  Bonnardot  remarks : 
"When  one  sees  upon  the  table  in  a  public  shop,  a  rare 
book  roughly  sewn,  ignobly  deteriorated  and,  especially, 
badly  cut  down,  either  too  much  or  unevenly,  one  may 
believe  that  it  has  passed,  at  some  period,  through  the 
hands  of  a  provincial  bookbinder  or  of  one  of  our  Parisian 
binders  of  the  lower  order,  who  consider  it  proper  to  wrap 
up  a  typographical  monument  of  the  Louis  XII  period  in 
a  way  to  strike  ofif  about  nineteen-twentieths  of  its  value. 
"I  know  of  no  species  of  vandals  worse,  more  primi- 
tive or  more  irresponsible  than  these  botchers.  But  one  can 
see  how  they  are  sometimes  impelled,  in  spite  of  a  natural 
taste,  to  commit  these  ravages.  After  considerable  dis- 
cussion, a  person  may  offer  them  about  75  centimes 
($0.15),  more  or  less,  for  a  piece  of  work  which,  if  done 
with  care,  should  well  be  worth  eight  or  ten  times  that 
amount.  The  natural  and  inevitable  punishment  caused 
by  this  penny-pinching,  is  the  almost  total  depreciation  of 

77 


a  book  placed  in  the  care  of  an  easy-going  bibliophile  who, 
with  a  light  heart  condemns  his  old  friend  to  a  binding 
limited  in  price  to  75  centimes. 

"The  provincial  bookbinder  whose  work,  with  its 
dirty,  warped  boards,  simpers  under  a  covering  of  sheep 
still  hairy  and  spotted  with  patches  of  ink,  is  in  much  the 
same  class  as  a  cheap  glazer  and  gilder  to  whom  an  ama- 
teur iconophile  might  naively  send  for  restoration  a  rare 
Albert  Durer ;  and  both  these  similar  to  an  architect  v/ho, 
with  blind  decision,  would  be  sent  to  mutilate  the  flanks 
of  some  majestic  cathedral.  This  redoubtable  trio,  born 
enemies  of  souvenirs  engraved  in  stone  or  upon  paper, 
botch  and  destroy,  although  perhaps  without  malice,  at 
least  three- fourths  of  anything  on  which  they  operate.  May 
these  tardy  remarks  still  save  something  from  the  ruins! 

"The  most  irremediable  of  the  crimes  which  can  be 
committed  in  rebinding  a  small,  old  book,  is  the  trimming 
of  margins.  The  simple  matter  of  a  centime's  economy 
in  the  size  of  the  boards,  may  direct  the  trimming  of  some 
charming  gothic  quarto  up  to  the  very  text.  One  may 
thrice  exclaim  with  joy  when  the  text  itself  has  not  been 
cropped.  Those  who  partly  realize,  or  divine  by  instinct, 
that  margins  are  good  for  something,  sometimes  take  pains 
to  preserve  them,  but  trim  them  with  an  inequality  so 
shocking  that  the  victim  has  only  escaped  Charybdis  in 
order  to  fall  upon  Scylla.  Undoubtedly,  the  greatest 
merit  of  a  rare  book  is  to  have  untrimmed  margins  or,  at 

78 


least,  margins  trimmed  only  slightly  and  evenly.  But  to 
obtain  evenness,  it  is  not  proper  to  cut  huge  slices  in  order 
to  square  the  edges;  such  zeal  for  symmetry  easily  might 
result  in  cutting  into  the  text.  The  best  method  for 
squaring  a  book  which  was  unevenly  cut  when  previously 
bound,  is  to  refold  and  equalize  each  sheet  before  any 
further  trimming  is  done;  a  long  and  detailed  operation 
for  which  one  pays,  not  in  centimes  but  in  francs." 

Bonnardot  goes  on  from  the  above,  very  pointed 
remarks,  to  describe  various  operations  of  rebinding,  with 
an  idea  of  assisting  bibliophiles  who  are  too  far  from  the 
centres  of  civilization  to  get  in  touch  with  a  good  binder. 
For  detailed  information  along  these  lines,  which  hardly 
come  within  the  scope  of  the  present  volume,  books  writ- 
ten especially  on  the  subject  of  binding  should  be  consulted. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  execute  a  satisfactory  binding 
without  going  through  a  long  period  of  practice  and 
apprenticeship.  And  this  work  not  only  includes  several 
long  and  dreary  operations,  such  as  sewing,  which  the 
average  bibliophile  would  not  have  the  time  or  patience 
to  undertake,  but  also  requires  a  number  of  bulky  tools 
and  presses,  out  of  place  except  in  a  shop  or  work-room. 
Any  book  in  serious  need  of  rebinding  is  better  placed  in 
the  hands  of  an  experienced  binder,  preferably  one  who 
specializes  in  individual  bindings.  With  the  book,  writ- 
ten directions  may  be  sent,  when  distance  renders  personal 
consultation  impossible. 

79 


As  nine-tenths  of  all  binders,  even  today,  still  practice 
many  careless  methods  against  which  bibliophiles  have  pro- 
tested for  centuries,  it  is  desirable,  in  any  case,  both  as  a 
precaution  and  as  a  practical  help  and  reminder  to  the 
binder,  to  furnish,  with  each  book  to  be  bound,  complete 
written  instructions  for  the  work.  With  the  written 
directions,  a  sketch  of  the  book  may  be  furnished,  giving 
details  of  the  design  of  tooling  wanted,  except  in  cases 
where  it  is  known  that  this  matter  may  safely  be  left 
to  the  good  taste  of  the  binder.  If  many  books  are  sent 
to  the  same  binder,  however,  suggestions  on  finish  and 
tooling  may  very  well  be  made.  Sometimes  these  may 
prove  of  interest  to  the  binder  himself.  The  reason  for 
such  suggestions  is  that  nearly  every  binder  has  certain 
set  personal  conventions,  especially  in  the  matter  of  tool- 
ing construction,  causing,  in  all  his  bindings,  a  certain 
uniformity  of  design.  Although  this  may  be  varied  by 
the  different  selection  of  the  actual  tools  used  and  the 
colors  of  the  leather,  it  becomes  monotonous  in  its  general 
construction  and  damages  the  visible  personality  of  the 
individual  volumes. 

A  form  of  direction  sheet,  which  will,  of  course,  vary 
with  varying  requirements,  follows. 


80 


TITLE.    In  gilt  on  back. 

THE 

ENEMIES 

OF 

BOOKS 


William 
Blades 

DATE.    In  gilt  at  bottom  of  back.    1880 

COVER.  Full,  dark  brown  pebbled  morocco,  best  quality 
Turkey.    Full  grain,  not  crushed. 

TOP.     Gilt  top.     Please  trim  as  little  as  possible. 

EDGES.    Do  not  trim  or  cut  bottom  or  fore  edges.  (*) 

TOOLING.  Gilt  line  borders  on  sides  near  edges,  with 
corner  ornaments;  use  geometrical  design  orna- 
ments if  you  have  them,  rather  than  flowers. 
Panels  on  back. 

SEWING.  Sew  flexible  on  flat  bands  with  leather  back 
glued  direct  to  the  lining  of  signatures.    Please  do 

(*)  Or:  Gilt  edges.  (This  requires,  in  many  cases,  con- 
siderable trimming  all  around.)  Or:  Bottom  and  fore  edges 
gilt  on  uncut  edges.  (This  is  a  more  expensive  process  and  a 
rather  delicate  one.     It  is  not  in  general  use.) 

81 


not   saw   into  backs  of  signatures   for   bands   or 
cords.  (*) 

END  PAPERS.    Plain  light  brown  or  white,  (f) 

SPECIAL.  Be  sure  and  place  clean  sheets  of  paper  over 
the  etched  illustrations  whenever  the  book  is  in 
press.  The  original  wrappers  now  on  are  con- 
siderably torn  and  are  very  brittle.  Please  mount 
these  as  well  as  you  can,  on  thin,  strong  paper,  and 
bind  them  in  at  the  back. 

The  price  for  this  work  may  be  agreed  on  beforehand, 
but  it  is  better  left  to  the  binder,  in  order  that  he  will 
not  feel  cramped,  should  the  necessity  of  a  little  unfore- 
seen work  develop.  Whatever  their  other  failings  may  be, 
binders  are  generally  honest  in  such  matters  and  are  not 
likely  to  overcharge,  especially  on  average  work. 

(*)  It  is  often  difficult  to  persuade  a  binder  to  sew  on  flat 
bands  or  outside  cords.  The  usual,  and  easiest  method  is  to 
saw  into  the  backs  of  the  signatures  and  lay  the  cords  in  the 
"V"  shaped  cut  thus  made.  This  method  of  scw^ing  should  be 
protested  against  unless  the  book  has  already  been  so  treated  in 
3  former  binding  and  no  additional  cutting  is  required.  Most 
of  the  raised  bands  found  on  modern  bindings  are  "false,"  being 
in  no  way  an  essential  part  of  the  binding  and  serving  no 
practical  purpose.  Even  their  use  as  guides  for  decoration  is 
doubtful,   as  they  tend  to  unnecessary  convention. 

(t)  On  a  valuable  book  in  an  expensive  binding,  the  end 
papers  should  be  sewn  in.  This  means  extra  trouble  for  the 
binder  and  calls  for  a  little  extra  charge.  End  papers  arc  very 
seldom  sewn  in  on  modern  bindings,  although  often  so  secured 
in  bindings  of  a  century  or  two  ago. 

82 


This  may  be  a  good  place  to  remark,  perhaps  needlessly, 
that  valuable  books,  particularly  first  editions,  should 
always  be  retained  in  their  original  covers,  whether  cloth, 
boards  or  leather,  whenever  this  is  at  all  practicable. 
Ancient  books  in  their  original  calf  or  sheep,  but  with 
broken  backs  or  hinges,  and  requiring  attention  for  their 
proper  preservation,  should  be  rebacked  rather  than 
rebound. 

The  reasons  for  this  are  numerous.  Principally,  the 
fact  that  a  book  is  still  in  its  original  binding  is  a  fair 
guarantee  that  it  has  not  been  trimmed  since  it  originally 
left  the  binder's  hands.  It  often  happens,  also,  that  books 
containing  rare  plates  have  the  plates  foxed  or  otherwise 
damaged,  and  it  is  sometimes  possible,  in  rebinding  such 
books,  to  substitute  for  the  injured  plates  other  perfect 
ones,  in  exact  facsimile,  from  some  later  edition  of  the 
same  book.  Suspicion  of  this,  or  of  other  tampering,  can 
generally  be  avoided  when  such  books  appear  still  in  the 
original  binding. 

There  is,  moreover,  a  sentimental  attraction  in  early 
issues  of  books  in  their  original  state,  since,  in  most  cases, 
they  thus  appear  as  they  formerly  did  to  their  author, 
perhaps  even  in  some  special  color  or  design  of  binding 
which  he  himself  selected.  Original  bindings  having  a 
stamped  design  possess  a  more  or  less  individual  decoration, 
perhaps  from  the  hand  of  some  well-known  artist.  Aubrey 
Beardsley,  for  instance,  prepared  a  number  of  such  book 

S3 


decorations;  many  of  the  volumes  issued  in  1894-95  by 
John  Lane  of  London,  have  cover  designs  by  this  artist 
and  these,  especially  when  accompanied  by  a  Frontispiece 
of  Title  design  by  the  same  hand,  are  often  equal  in 
interest  to  the  text  of  the  book  itself.  Of  special  interest 
from  the  standpoint  of  originality  are  the  Japanese-like 
fabrics  used  in  binding  some  of  the  first  editions  of  books 
by  Lafcadio  Hearn.  Whether  specially  decorated  or  not, 
however,  the  original  binding  is  part  of  the  individuality 
of  a  book  and  cannot  be  removed  without  destroying  a 
certain  part  of  its  interest. 

In  the  case  of  valuable  books  which  are,  for  one  rea- 
son or  another,  seldom  referred  to,  or  unique  or  presenta- 
tion copies,  it  is  a  good  practice  to  make  slight  essential 
repairs  without  disturbing  the  binding  and  to  order,  from 
an  experienced  binder,  a  book-shaped  slip-case  in  which 
the  volume  may  be  preserved  in  its  original  covers  without 
being  subject  to  further  wear  or  to  injury  from  dust. 

A  fairly  valuable  book  which  must  be  rebound,  should 
never  be  bound  in  calf  or  sheep,  as  these  leathers,  even 
when  of  the  best  quality,  are  very  perishable.  Sheep  bind- 
ings, sometimes  three  hundred  years  old,  may  still  be 
occasionally  met  with  in  remarkably  solid  condition.  But 
the  secret  of  such  leather  tanning  seems  to  have  been  lost, 
and  the  modern  sheep  or  calf  binding  cannot  be  counted 
on,  even  under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  for  more 
than  one-tenth  that  length  of  time.     In  certain  climates, 

84 


parchment  or  vellum  makes  a  durable  binding  which,  with 
age,  acquires  a  beautiful,  ivory-like  surface  tone ;  but  these 
skins  will  warp  the  boards  unless  the  book  is  kept  closely 
set  in  on  the  shelf.  Turkey  morocco  is  durable  when 
well  tanned,  as  it  usually  is.  The  best  leather,  for  appear- 
ance and  endurance,  and  also  the  most  expensive,  is  red 
levant  morocco.  For  efficiency  and  richness,  although  this 
is  a  matter  on  which  tastes  vary,  it  is  best  left 
"uncrushed"  or,  at  least,  only  lightly  pressed. 

The  best  moroccos  are  those  tanned  entirely  "acid- 
free,"  or  as  nearly  so  as  possible.  *'Niger"  morocco, 
native  tanned  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger  River  in  Africa, 
and  imported  Into  England,  Is  an  acid-free  leather  used 
for  expensive  bindings.  This  leather  is  rather  hard  to 
secure,  but  Its  desirability  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  it  is 
the  only  leather  on  which  the  severe  tests  described  in  the 
Report  of  the  Committee  on  Leather  for  Bookbindings, 
elsewhere  mentioned,  had  no  effect. 


85 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  BOOK  SHELVES 


Open  shelves  undoubtedly  form  the  ideal  resting  place 
for  books,  since  they  are  not  only  convenient  for  access, 
but  also  allow  a  free  circulation  of  air  around  the  volumes. 
They  are,  however,  often  impracticable  as  affording  insuffi- 
cient protection  against  dust  and  dirt,  especially  in  cities, 
where  closed  cases  are  very  necessary.  No  case  with  mov- 
able doors  is  absolutely  dust-proof,  but  some  types  very 
closely  approach  this  desirable  state. 

Closed  cases  are,  of  course,  to  be  preferred  with  glass 
doors  to  reveal  a  glimpse  of  the  treasures  within.  They 
should  be  set  a  few  inches  away  from  the  wall,  to  permit 
a  free  circulation  of  air  around  them,  and  should  never  be 
so  placed  that  the  books  are  exposed  to  direct  sunlight  or 
a  strong  glare,  as  this  will  fade  or  discolor  the  bindings, 
particularly  green  leather,  which  is  very  apt  to  turn  brown. 
'  The  room  in  which  cases  are  placed  should  be  free  from 
damp,  and  the  windows  should  be  kept  closed  at  night.  If 
the  windows  admit  an  excess  of  sunlight  or  glare,  they  are 

89 


best  furnished  with  yellowish  or  olive-green  glass,  which 
will  neutralize  any  harmful  effects  of  the  light  on  the 
books.  Such  colored  glass,  if  ''leaded,'*  may  be  made  a 
very  attractive  addition  to  the  appearance  of  the  room. 
Red  glass  verging  toward  the  orange  is  equally  effective, 
but  less  adaptable  to  the  purpose. 

A  full  description  of  the  effects  of  light  on  various 
kinds  and  colors  of  leathers  will  be  found  in  the  Report 
of  the  Committee  on  Leather  for  Bookbindings,  London, 
Bell,  1905.  This  report  also  gives  the  following  suggestion 
for  a  preservative  finish  to  be  used  on  leather  bindings: 
**Boil  eight  parts  of  stearic  acid  and  one  part  of  caustic  soda 
in  fifty  parts  of  water,  until  dissolved.  Then  add  one 
hundred  and  fifty  parts  of  cold  water  and  stir  until  the 
substance  sets  into  a  jelly.  Apply  this  jelly  thinly  with  a 
sponge  or  rag  and,  when  it  has  dried,  polish  the  leather 
with  a  soft  flannel.  If  a  white  film  rises  to  the  surface 
of  the  leather  this  can  be  wiped  away  with  a  damp  cloth 
and  the  leather  repolished."  A  fair  supply  of  this  mixture, 
suitable  for  small  library  purposes,  can  be  made  by  boiling 
half  an  ounce  (by  weight)  of  the  stearic  acid,  and  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  ounce  (by  weight)  of  the  caustic  soda,  in 
three  liquid  ounces  of  water  and  then  adding  nine  liquid 
ounces  of  cold  water.  It  is  best  to  stir  the  mixture  gently 
while  cooling;  the  entire  process  of  preparation  will  take 
only  a  few  minutes.    If  kept  for  more  than  a  week  or  two, 

90 


this  mixture  may  become  mouldy.    It  is  better  to  prepare 
it  only  when  it  can  be  used  on  a  number  of  books  at  once. 

Books  in  closed  cases  should  be  removed  and  thoroughly 
dusted  at  least  once  a  year,  the  tops  especially  being  care- 
fully wiped  clean,  if  gilt,  or  brushed,  if  uncut,  in  either 
case  while  holding  the  book  tightly  closed.  They  should 
be  aired  at  the  same  time,  particularly  those  not  in  frequent 
use.  For  this  airing  and  cleaning  a  warm,  sunny  day 
should  be  selected  and,  whenever  possible,  on  such  days  the 
cases  should  be  opened;  books,  like  people,  are  healthier 
when  well  supplied  with  good,  fresh  air. 

Books  on  the  shelves  should  set  in  firmly  among  their 
neighbors,  as  a  certain  amount  of  pressure  on  the  sides  is 
essential  to  keep  the  boards  from  warping.  Care  must  be 
taken,  however,  not  to  wedge  them  in  too  tightly;  such  a 
cure  is  worse  in  its  effects  than  the  disease.  The  usual 
method  of  removing  a  book  from  the  shelf  is  to  hook  a 
finger  into  the  top  of  the  back,  or  head-cap,  and  pull. 
Paper  or  cloth  backs  are  often  torn  at  the  top  in  this  way. 
It  is  far  preferable  to  reach  in  with  the  hand  and  push 
the  book  out  from  the  fore-edge  or,  at  least,  to  tilt  it 
outward  by  a  slight  pressure  of  several  fingers  on  the 
top  beyond  the  head -band.  If  the  shelves  are  lined  with 
velvet,  as  elsewhere  suggested,  it  will  be  necessary  to  lift 
the  heavier  books  into  place  when  returning  them  to  the 
shelves;  if  they  are  shoved  in  on  the  lower  edges  of  the 
boards  the  velvet  will  follow  them  in. 

91 


Books  in  delicate  bindings  or  fragile  covers  may  often, 
with  advantage,  be  fitted  with  slip-covers  of  silk,  cloth, 
Japan  vellum,  or  even  soft,  heavy  paper.  These  covers 
are  simple  and  easy  to  make,  but  they  can  be  used  only 
when  the  condition  of  the  book  will  permit  both  boards 


to  bend  backward  without  injury,  while  slipping  the  cover 
on  or  off.  (Fig.  A.)  Covers  of  this  kind,  made  of  leather 
and  provided  with  a  label  on  the  back,  are  especially 
adaptable  to  paper-covered  books  which,  for  any  reason, 
one  may  wish  to  preserve  in  their  original  wrappers  with- 
out rebinding. 

92 


Book-worms  arc  practically  unknown  in  America,  but 
should  active  traces  of  these  be  found  in  a  book  the  volume 
should  be  isolated  at  once  and  placed  in  a  tight  box  with 
cotton  well  moistened  with  ether.  Several  treatments  of 
this  kind,  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  days,  will  kill  any 
worms  or  eggs.  Snuff  or  tobacco,  to  be  renewed  at  inter- 
vals, placed  along  the  back  of  the  shelves,  is  said  to  dis- 
courage worms  or  other  insects.  Worm  holes  in  old  books 
may  sometimes  be  filled  in,  if  one  has  time  for  the  opera- 
tion, with  a  paste  obtained  by  boiling  down  shreds  of  paper 
in  sizing.  The  writer  has  an  edition  of  Homer  printed  at 
Basel  in  1535,  in  which  a  worm  hole  varying  in  size  from 
one-eighth  inch  in  diameter  downwards,  and  extending 
through  nearly  one  hundred  sheets,  has  been  filled  in  so 
carefully  on  each  sheet,  in  this  way,  that  the  repair  is 
noticeable  only  on  the  closest  inspection. 

Moths  should  never  be  allowed  to  breed  in  the  cases. 
Were  it  not  for  increasing  this  danger  the  shelf  lining 
mentioned  above  could  be  made  of  felt  instead  of  velvet, 
the  former  being,  otherwise,  a  more  satisfactory  material 
for  the  purpose. 

While  it  is  only  in  extremely  large  collections,  where 
books  are  left  undisturbed  for  years,  that  worms,  moths, 
dust,  and  other  enemies  of  books  obtain  enough  of  a  foot- 
hold to  do  any  serious  damage,  the  careful  supervision  of 
even  a  small  collection  may  sometimes  prove  of  unexpected 

93 


preventive  value  and,  in  any  case,  the  slight  extra  trouble 
involved  is  in  no  sense  a  w^asted  effort. 

The  collector  will  also  find  it  convenient  to  catalogue 
the  books  in  his  cases,  preferably  by  means  of  a  card-index 
system.  Cards  three  by  five  inches  usually  v^^ill  be  found 
large  enough  to  hold  a  fair  description.  Each  card  should 
be  headed  w^ith  the  author's  name,  for  convenience  in  index- 
ing, followed  by  the  book  title,  an  exact  transcript  of  the 
title-page  or  colophon,  a  description  of  the  illustrations,  if 
any,  the  size  and  the  binding,  and  any  bibliographical 
notes  of  interest.  The  price  paid  for  the  book,  written 
in  cipher,  and  the  date  purchased,  should  also  be  added. 

The  matter  of  correctly  noting  the  size  of  books  for 
such  a  catalogue  or  index  is  one  to  which  the  amateur  will 
be  obliged  to  give  a  certain  amount  of  study,  and  he  will 
find,  among  bookmen,  wide  differences  of  opinion  as  to 
the  proper  methods  to  follow.  For  all  ordinary  purposes, 
the  descriptions  of  folio,  where  the  sheets  are  folded  into 
two;  quarto  (4to),  where  the  sheets  are  folded  into  four; 
eight  sizes  of  octavo  (8vo),  from  fcap.  to  imperial,  where 
the  sheets  are  folded  into  eight;  duodecimo  (12mo)  ;  and  • 
sextodecimo  (16mo)  will  be  found  sufficient.  Speaking 
generally,  a  4to  will  have  a  page  signature  at  the  foot  of 
every  fourth  page,  an  8vo  at  the  foot  of  every  eighth  page, 
a  12m-o  at  the  foot  of  every  fourth  or  twelfth  page,  etc. 
The  old  standard  for  octave  sizes  (measured  on  the  edge 
of  the  pages,  not  the  boards),  which  may  safely  be  fol- 

94 


lowed,  is  given  in  the  table  below.     The  sizes  will  be 
found  to  vary  somewhat,  where  the  book  has  been  trimmed 
or  where  the  paper  used  has  been  of  an  odd  size. 
Table  of  Octavo  sheets,  folded : 

4M"x    T     fcap  8vo 

5"      X    iy2" crown  8vo 


\X 


i'x    ly," post  8vo 

5>4"x    8"     demy  8vo 

6"      X    9K" 8vo 

eyi'xW     roy  8vo 

854"xll%'' imp  8vo 


95 


CHAPTER  VII 
BOOK  BUYING 


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As  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  rare  and  desirable 
books  to  be  had  in  America  from  time  to  time  are  sent 
over  from  England  and  the  Continent  by  dealers'  agents, 
it  follows  that  the  amateur  collector  in  this  country  must 
depend  largely  on  dealers  for  his  supply  of  books.  Except 
at  auctions,  there  are  comparatively  few  opportunities  of 
buying  at  first-hand,  although  rare  items  of  American 
printed  books  are  sometimes  unearthed  and,  in  the  old  book 
stores  of  the  larger  cities,  bargains  are  not  uncommon. 
These  latter,  however,  are  usually  limited,  at  best,  to  pick- 
ing up  some  good  first  edition  of  a  modern  author,  worth, 
perhaps,  five  dollars,  and  carelessly  marked,  with  numbers 
of  other  books,  at  about  twenty-five  cents.  Better  fortune 
sometimes  attends.  For  example,  one  may  sometimes  find 
a  really  rare  and  valuable  book  which,  in  dim  but  inade- 
quate realization  of  its  value,  has  been  marked  higher  than 
its  neighbors — perhaps  up  to  about  one-tenth  of  its  real 
value.    Such  an  incident,  however,  is  among  the  exceptions. 

99 


In  any  case,  the  stories  of  wonderful  finds  in  years  past, 
along  the  quays  of  Paris  or  in  the  stalls  of  London  are, 
for  the  American  at  least,  almost  like  romances  which 
could  never  come  true. 

In  buying  from  dealers,  especially  those  who  specialize 
in  rare  books,  it  is  often,  unfortunately,  necessary  that  the 
bibliophile  of  moderate  means,  to  whom  these  pages  are 
particularly  addressed,  is  obliged  to  pause  before  the  price 
of  some  much  desired  volume.  His  buying  problems  are 
much  more  complex  than  those  of  his  wealthy  fellow- 
collector,  to  whom  price  is  little  object,  since  he  must  not 
only  hunt  out  the  volumes  he  wants,  but  also  copies  priced 
reasonably  to  be  within  his  reach.  Blessed,  indeed,  is  the 
willing  self-denial  which  produces  the  ransom  of  a  good 
book,  at  the  expense  of  the  ephemeral  luxuries  of  life! 
But  under  such  conditions  it  is  essential  that  the  amateur 
have  a  fairly  complete  knowledge  of  the  value  of  books, 
particularly  along  his  own  special  lines,  in  order  that  he 
may  not  be  driven  to  unnecessary  hardships  through  paying 
unjustly  high  prices  for  his  treasures. 

While  the  prices  of  books  vary  greatly,  according  to 
condition  and  binding,  they  also  vary  to  an  astonishing 
extent  with  various  dealers.  The  prices  marked  by  some 
dealers  are  often  high  for  certain  kinds  of  books  and  low 
for  others.  Bargains  often  may  be  secured  from  the  dealer 
who  marks  his  books,  not  according  to  their  present  market 
value,  but  according  to  the  price  he  himself  paid  for  them, 

100 


since  it  follows,  naturally,  that  a  bargain  for  him  is  a 
bargain  for  his  customer.  Information  of  this  kind,  in 
respect  to  particular  dealers,  is  very  valuable  to  the  amateur 
who  visits  their  shops,  but  he  often  gains  it  only  after 
considerable  experience. 

Cautious  buying,  so  often  sneered  at,  is,  nevertheless, 
essential,  and  the  amateur  bibliophile  owes  to  himself  not 
only  complete  information  as  to  the  "right"  editions  of 
books,  but  also  a  thoroughly  developed  knowledge  and 
judgment  which  will  enable  him  to  value  books  with 
fair  accuracy.  He  must  realize  that  in  many  cases  the 
dealer  is  wily  and  seductive ;  moreover,  his  wares  plead  for 
themselves  to  trouble  the  heart  of  the  hesitating  purchaser. 
He  also  must  develop  a  certain  amount  of  guile,  and  must 
be  able  to  harden  his  heart,  if  necessary,  against  all  appeal. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  all  things  to  do,  and 
is  the  triumph  of  knowledge  over  ingenuousness  and  of 
reason  over  bibliomania. 

To  the  collector  of  moderate  means,  even  though  his 
library  be  small,  his  books  represent  a  certain  form  of 
investment,  fairly  secured.  It  has  been  pointed  out  by 
Mr.  J.  H.  Slater,  editor  of  the  English  "Book  Prices  Cur- 
rent," that  books  bought  as  an  investment  are  not  really 
so,  because  to  be  a  good  investment  they  would  have  con- 
stantly to  increase  in  value  to  equal  the  income  from  the 
purchase  price,  had  it  been  invested  in  another  way.  This 
increase  in  value,  however,  often  actually  takes  place,  and 

101 


in  a  fair  sized  collection  of  books,  judiciously  gathered,  the 
abnormal  increase  in  the  value  of  some  volumes  v^ill  help 
to  balance  the  sluggishness  or  depreciation  of  others.  The 
bibliophile,  how^ever,  may  v^ell  rest  content,  and  consider 
himself  w^ell  repaid  for  his  efforts  to  buy  carefully,  if  the 
value  of  his  collection  as  a  whole  remains  equal  to  the 
sum  total  of  his  expenditures,  and  he  may  accept  the 
pleasures  of  possessing  and  reading  the  volumes  in  lieu 
of  interest  on  the  investment. 

To  get  a  general  idea  of  the  run  of  prices,  the  collector 
should  obtain  as  many  priced  dealers'  catalogues  as  possible 
and  study  these  carefully,  in  making  comparisons  notic- 
ing any  description  of  condition  or  binding  v^hich  might 
account  for  a  difference  in  price  betw^een  two  copies  of  the 
same  work  catalogued  by  different  dealers.  He  should  also 
study  the  volumes  of  ''Book  Prices  Current,''  both  the 
English  and  American  editions,  which  are  issued  each  year 
to  subscribers  and  may  be  found  at  almost  any  large  public 
library.  These  books,  for  each  year,  give  the  prices  real- 
ized at  auction  during  the  year  before,  for  all  books  which 
brought  over  three  dollars.  These  prices,  however,  must 
be  considered  with  caution,  as  they  do  not  always  represent 
true  values,  particularly  in  reference  to  sales  in  Great 
Britain,  where  the  operation  of  dealer's  "knockout" 
cliques,  conspiring  to  keep  prices  low,  except  on  items 
where  collectors  bid  direct,  has  been  the  cause  of  much 
scandal. 

102 


Advance  catalogues  of  books  to  be  sold  at  auction  will 
be  mailed  by  the  auction  houses,  on  request.  At  auctions 
free  from  suspicion  of  unfairness,  the  amateur  will  often 
find  it  to  his  advantage  to  buy,  since  he  generally  has  a 
certain  amount  of  advantage  over  the  dealer,  not  being 
obliged  to  buy  books  so  low  that  he  may  sell  again  at  a 
good  profit.  He  need  anticipate  little  difficulty  in  com- 
petition over  books  of  moderate  value,  provided  he  has 
taken  the  trouble  thoroughly  to  inform  himself  as  to  the 
correctness  of  the  edition  he  proposes  to  buy  and  is  able 
intelligently  to  collate,  either  before  the  sale  or  immediately 
afterward.  With  items  of  considerable  importance,  it  is 
sometimes  a  better  plan  for  several  reasons,  under  present 
auction  conditions,  to  place  the  bid  in  the  hands  of  a  v/ell- 
known,  reliable  dealer  who  will  bid  in  the  book  for  a 
small  commission  on  the  price  paid,  and  who  will  assume 
responsibility  for  the  book  being  correct  and  perfect  as 
represented  in  the  catalogue. 

Books  handsomely  and  elaborately  bound,  especially 
when  bearing  the  imprint  of  some  famous  binder,  generally 
command  prices  at  auction  and  from  dealers,  rather  in 
excess  of  their  true  value.  There  is  always  a  ready  market 
for  such  books  among  wealthy  collectors.  A  desired  l>ook 
with  the  pages  in  good  condition,  but  in  a  shabby  binding, 
can  generally  be  bought,  and  then  equally  well  bound  by 
a  competent  binder,  at  a  saving  under  the  price  of  another 
copy  already  resplendent  in  crushed  levant.    On  the  other 

103 


hand,  a  book  in  an  elaborately  jeweled  binding  of  excessive 
value  often  sells  at  auction  for  less  than  the  original  cost 
of  the  binding.  A  book  bound  by  such  a  celebrated  binder 
as  Roger  Payne  vrill  hold  its  value  while  the  binding 
remains  solid,  with  little  dependence  on  the  contents  of 
the  book  itself. 

These  remarks,  however,  as  all  remarks  about  auction 
prices  must  be,  are  only  general,  for  the  varying  state  of 
supply  and  demand  is  often  met  with  in  extremes  In  the 
auction  room. 

As  the  market  value  of  books  changes  constantly,  and 
depends  not  only  on  varying  rarity,  but  also  on  demand, 
it  Is  necessary  that  the  collector  have  some  idea  as  to  what 
constitutes  rarity,  and  the  conditions  governing  demand. 
For  this  a  considerable  amount  of  study  is  necessary.  It 
has  been  pointed  out  that  rarity  itself  does  not  make  for 
value,  if  there  is  no  demand.  An  unique  copy  of  a  book 
is  necessarily  rare,  but  if  no  one  wants  It,  it  will  not  bring 
a  price  in  proportion  to  its  scarcity.  This  is  a  hard  rule 
which  one  must  apply,  and  a  rule  often  unjust  to  the 
books  themselves.  Yet,  while  there  are  many  books  of 
great  merit  slowly  disappearing  from  the  world  because 
of  neglect,  it  Is  also  true  that  the  books  most  In  demand 
and  commanding  the  highest  prices  in  first  or  early  editions 
are,  in  the  main,  books  of  great  intrinsic  merit,  well  known 
and,  for  one  reason  or  another,  justly  famous. 

104 


The  bibliophile  must  judge  for  himself  as  best  he  may, 
what  books  indicate  by  their  nature  and  celebrity  a  per- 
manent value  and  what  books  command  excessive  prices 
for  the  moment  simply  because  of  inflated  interest  and 
demand.  Conditions  governing  market  value  change  in 
large,  general  movements,  often  affecting  whole  classes  of 
books.  As  an  example,  one  may  note  the  comparatively 
high  prices  paid  a  century  or  more  ago  for  early  editions 
of  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics,  while  treasures  of  early 
English  literature  sold  for  a  few  shillings;  while  at  the 
present  time  these  conditions  are  almost  entirely  reversed 
and  some  almost  unique  classic  volume  in  extraordinary 
condition  is  required  to  create  much  of  a  sensation.  It  may 
be  remarked  here,  however,  that  the  early  classics,  the 
foundation  of  our  present  language,  should  have  a  per- 
manent value,  if  such  an  attribute  can  be  rightly  assigned 
to  any  books  at  all,  and  it  may  be  assumed  that  almost 
certainly  the  day  will  come  when  these  early  and  im- 
portant works  will  again  be  in  great  demand  and  will  bring 
prices  all  the  higher  because  of  the  scarcity  which  has 
accrued  to  them  in  the  meantime  through  the  loss,  in  one 
way  or  another,  of  many  of  the  extant  copies. 

The  greatest  care  is  necessary  in  purchasing  modern 
editions,  especially  of  modern  authors,  as  the  number  of 
modern  books  and  editions,  whether  the  books  be  good, 
bad  or  indifferent — the  latter  two  adjectives  usually  apply- 
ing,  unfortunately — present  an   extremely  complex  field 

105 


from  which  only  great  foresight  will  select  books  of  merit 
which  will  be  sought  after  several  generations  hence. 

The  amateur  should  also  observe  with  a  certain  amount 
of  suspicion  books  printed  in  verj^  ''limited''  editions, 
with  a  view  of  establishing  immediate  rarity,  permitting 
himself  an  interest  only  in  those  of  obvious  merit,  where 
the  limited  edition  is  not  necessitated  by  limited  demand, 
and  avoiding  those  books  so  printed  of  which  previous 
editions  much  in  demand  have  been  issued.  Privately 
printed  books  in  limited  editions,  such  as  the  books  issued 
by  the  Villon  Society,  which  include  John  Payne's  im- 
portant translations  from  the  French  and  Italian,  and  the 
various  issues  of  the  Kama  Shastra  Society  ( * ) ,  in  which 
Sir  Richard  Burton,  the  gifted  orientalist,  was  actively 
interested,  being  not  only  first  editions  and  of  marked 
literary  merit,  but  also  books  fairly  certain  to  be  in 
demand,  and  rare,  may  generally  be  considered  of  sound 
value  and  interest.  Books  from  famous  private  presses, 
examples  of  the  highest  state  of  typography  of  their  time, 

(*)  This  Society  has  been  credited — or  otherwise — with  so 
many  volumes,  chiefly  of  an  erotic  nature,  which  it  never  issued, 
that  a  list  of  the  genuine  volumes,  issued  with  the  authority  and 
consent  of  Sir  Richard  Buxton,  may  be  of  interest.  These  arc: 
Kama  Sutra,  of  Vatsyayana,  1883;  Amanga  Ranga,  of  Kalyana 
Mall,  1885;  The  Beharistan,  of  Jami,  1887;  The  Gulistan,  of 
SaMi,  1888;  Alf  Laylah  wa  Laylah  (The  Book  of  the  Thousand 
Nights  and  a  Night),  ten  volumes,  1885;  Supplemental  Nights  to 
The  Book  of  the  Thousand  Nights  and  a  Night,  six  volumes, 
1886-1888.  These  volumes  are  all  listed  in  a  four  page  folder, 
which   accompanied   Vol.   5,   of  the   Supplemental   Nights.     The 

106 


such  as  the  Kelmscott  Press  books  printed  by  William 
Morris,  or  books  printed  by  some  famous  printer,  such  as 
John  Baskerville,  of  Birmingham,  are  almost  certain  to 
increase  substantially  in  value  in  the  long  run  over  their 
present-day  prices  and  are,  moreover,  delightful  books  to 
have. 

To  be  properly  considered  w^ith  the  general  subject  of 
buying,  are  the  special  copies  of  volumes  knov^n  as  "asso- 
ciation books."  These  are  unique  copies,  connected  in  some 
direct  way  with  the  author  or  with  some  prominent  per- 
sonage. Because  of  the  sentimental  interest  attached,  these 
usually  command  high  prices.  Included  under  this  heading 
are  presentation  copies  with  inscriptions  by  the  author,  the 
author^s  own  copy  of  his  book,  generally  with  autograph 
corrections,  and  books  with  autograph  annotations  by  some 
contemporary  or  later,  but  equally  famous,  person  or 
author.  There  is  no  standard  by  which  to  judge  the  proper 
value  of  such  special  copies  as  they  are  unique,  and  such 
copies  may  change  hands  several  times  at  close  intervals 

folder  mentions  two  other  volumes  in  preparation;  The  Nigaris- 
tan  of  Jawini,  and  The  Scented  Garden,  of  the  Shaykh 
al-Nafzawi.  The  former  translation  was  never  issued;  the 
latter  translation,  made  by  Sir  Richard  himself,  was  burned  in 
MS  by  his  wife,  shortly  after  his  death.  The  only  translation  of 
al-Nafzawi  bearing  the  Kama  Shastra  Society  imprint,  was 
issued  in  1886,  in  white  vellum,  uniform  with  the  other  single 
volumes  listed  above  with  the  title  of  The  Perfumed  Garden. 
This  translation,  which  was  made  through  a  French  version,  is 
described,  and  practically  acknowledged  as  a  book  of  the  Society, 
in  a  foot-note  on  page  133,  Vol.  10,  of  the  Nights. 

107 


with  a  considerably  varying  but  generally  increasing 
price.  Copies  of  this  kind  are  generally  held  at  high 
ransom  by  dealers,  especially  in  the  "high  rent  districts" 
of  our  large  cities,  and  the  amateur  bibliophile  is  wiser 
to  hope  merely  that,  as  sometimes  happens,  chance  may 
throw  such  copies,  until  that  time  unrecognized  as  such, 
into  his  hands  without  extra  premium.  Dealers,  and  even 
collectors,  often  attempt  to  establish  an  association  value 
in  a  book  by  inserting  autograph  letters  or  signatures  of 
the  author;  but  such  volumes,  although  thus  made  of  con- 
siderable interest,  obviously  cannot  properly  be  considered 
under  this  heading. 


108 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN  CLASSICS 


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W 
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The  collections  of  first  and  early  editions  of  the  Greek 
and  Latin  classics  in  the  original  which,  a  century  or  two 
ago,  formed  the  backbone  of  nearly  all  collections  of  note, 
have  since,  as  mentioned  elsewhere,  lost  much  of  their 
interest  for  the  bibliophile.  A  rare,  uncut  editio  princeps 
of  Homer  may  still  produce  from  its  sale,  as  in  Dibdin's 
day,  "a  little  annuity,"  and  perhaps  an  annuity  which 
would  have  made  Dibdin  gasp ;  but  this  volume  may  pos- 
sibly be  considered  an  exception. 

The  present  practical  neglect  of  the  Greek  and  Latin 
languages,  except  as  college  exercises,  may  in  a  certain 
measure  be  responsible  for  the  modern  lack  of  interest  in 
the  original  classics,  since  the  bibliophile  may  be  pardoned, 
in  a  sense,  for  not  buying  books  in  which  his  interest  is 
limited  to  possession  and  which  he  is  unable  to  read  with 
any  degree  of  satisfaction. 

The  past  three  hundred  years  of  English  literature, 
however,  have  produced  a  great  number  of  translations 

111 


from  these  classics,  the  best,  no  doubt,  being  made  by  men 
of  independent  income  with  the  ability  and  leisure  to  turn 
their  hands  toward  such  work.  A  careful  sifting  of  these 
translations,  therefore,  might  very  well  furnish  the  biblio- 
phile who  is  inclined  toward  such  reading  with  a  library 
of  classics  easily  readable  in  good,  accurate  translation. 
The  cost  of  such  a  collection  would  be  comparatively 
moderate,  and  if  care  were  taken  In  the  selection  to  obtain 
first  or  early  editions  of  the  translations  recognized  as  hav- 
ing the  best  literary  qualities,  tliere  is  little  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  collection  would  have  a  very  positive  value.  The 
subject  is,  perhaps,  interesting  enough  to  justify  a  few 
details. 

The  principal  stumbling  block,  and  that  which  renders 
the  ordinary  published  "classic"  libraries  of  doubtful  value, 
is  the  delicate  question  of  expurgation  and  that  of  abridg- 
ment. Any  translation  is,  at  best,  a  substitute;  but  an 
incomplete  one  is  worse  than  none  at  all.  There  are,  how- 
ever, a  few  volumes  In  which  the  collector  will  be  inter- 
ested, which  will  be  obtained.  In  all  their  original  naivete, 
only  with  difficulty. 

Suppose  a  nucleus  for  such  a  collection  were  to  be 
assembled.  One  would,  of  course,  begin  with  Homer. 
The  best  translation  in  prose  is  by  Andrew  Lang  and 
others;  the  Iliad,  1883;  the  Odyssey,  1879.  The  most 
readable  verse  translation  Is  that  by  William  CuUen 
Bryant,  in  four  volumes,  Boston,  1870-1871.  This  version, 

112 


unfortunately,  gives  the  Roman  form  of  the  names  of  the 
Greek  gods — a  concession  to  unnecessary  corruption — but 
is  otherwise  very  faithful. 

After  Homer,  perhaps  Plato's  Dialogues,  of  which  the 
best  translation  is  that  by  B.  Jowett,  in  five  volumes, 
Oxford,  1875,  third  edition,  revised,  1892.  And  of 
Plutarch's  Lives,  which  follows  naturally,  the  translation 
called  Dryden's,  revised  by  Clough,  five  volumes,  Boston 
and  London,  1859.  Virgil,  from  the  Latins,  would 
accompany  these,  and  of  this,  a  good  translation  is  Dryden's 
also,  revised  this  time  by  John  Carey,  in  three  volumes, 
London,  1803.  A  much  rarer  edition  is  the  "Aeneidos" 
of  Thomas  Phaer,  London,  1584,  with  several  reprints,  in 
small  black  letter. 

As  a  souvenir  of  lovely  Sicily,  we  would  require,  of 
course,  the  pastorals  of  Theocritus,  of  which  the  best  trans- 
lation is  that  in  prose  by  Andrew  Lang,  London,  1880.  In 
this  rendering  two  passages  of  about  two  lines  each  are 
left  untranslated,  but  the  omission  is  too  slight  to  be 
serious.  The  same  volume  also  contains  the  poems  of 
Bion  and  Moschus.  A  good  verse  translation  is  that  by 
C.  S.  Calverley,  Cambridge  (England),  1869.  With 
Theocritus  we  must  read  Sappho,  "the  poetess,"  the 
ancients  called  her,  as  they  called  Homer  "the  poet." 
Meleager,  in  the  poem  of  his  "Garland"  of  verse,  says  that 
he  includes  "of  Sappho's  only  a  few  but  all  roses."  And 
so,  indeed,  are  the  few  precious  fragments  which  have  come 

113 


down  to  us.  All  the  known  fragments  of ^  this  poetess,  even 
mere  references  or  quotations  of  a  word  or  a  phrase  from 
ancient  writers,  which  have  survived,  have  been  gathered 
by  H.  T.  Wharton,  who  gives  in  his  little  volume  called 
Sappho,  the  Greek  text  and  a  literal  translation  of  each 
fragment,  together  with  various  verse  translations  of 
interest.  The  first  edition  of  this  book  appeared  in  1885, 
the  third  and  definite  edition  in  1895.  Both  were  published 
in  London ;  the  former  by  David  Stott,  the  latter  by  John 
Lane. 

Of  Anacreon's  lyrics,  only  a  few  fragments  remain. 
The  Anacreontea  were  tranlsated  by  Thomas  Stanley, 
London,  1651;  reprinted  by  Lawrence  and  BuUen,  Lon- 
don, 1893.  The  reprint  may  be  had  on  Japan  vellum  and 
on  vellum. 

Of  the  Greek  Anthology,  the  famous  collection  of 
Greek  epigrams  composed  between  about  B.  C.  450  and 
A.  D.  550,  there  are  many  volumes  of  translated  "selec- 
tions.'* The  best  and  most  poetic,  although  the  rendering 
is  in  prose,  is  that  by  J.  W.  Mackail,  London,  1890, 
revised  1906  and  1911.  The  greater  part  of  the  Anthology, 
which  contains  over  three  thousand  five  hundred  epigrams, 
was  translated  into  readable  verse  by  Major  Robert 
McGregor,  London,  1864,  but  the  spirit  of  this  rendering 
is  indifferent.  A  complete  translation  into  prose  of  the 
entire  Anthology,  omitting  only  the  ultra-erotic  and 
paederastic  epigrams,  is  now  in  process  of  publication  in 

114 


five  volumes  by  Heinemann,  London.  This  would  be, 
when  complete,  the  most  desirable  all-around  translation 
were  it  not  for  the  bald  and  unpoetic  literalness  of  the 
rendering;  of  which,  as  an  instance,  one  could  note  the 
passage  in  the  two  hundred  and  tw^enty-fifth  Amatory 
epigram,  which  might  be  translated,  ''I  have  a  wound  of 
love  which  never  heals  *  *  *";  but  which  is  rendered, 
"My  love  is  a  running  sore  *  *  *" 

With  the  poets,  Catullus  must  be  included;  the  best 
and  only  complete  translation  is  that  by  Richard  F.  Burton 
and  Leonard  Smithers,  London,  privately  printed,  1894. 
This  volume  gives  the  Latin  text,  a  complete  prose  render- 
ing by  Smithers,  and  a  characteristic  verse  rendering  by 
Burton.  In  the  latter,  some  erotic  passages  are  missing, 
due,  according  to  Lady  Burton's  statement,  to  an  incom- 
plete manuscript. 

Among  the  dramatists  there  are  Aeschylus,  whose 
tragedies  were  translated  in  verse  by  R.  Potter,  London, 
1777,  and  Sophocles,  whose  tragedies  were  translated  by 
the  same  hand,  London,  1788.  Edward  FitzGerald's 
rendering  of  the  Agamemnon  of  Aeschylus,  London,  1876, 
which  does  not,  however,  pretend  to  be  a  close  translation, 
may  well  be  included  for  the  unusual  beauty  of  its  verse. 
The  comedies  of  Terence  have  had  several  translators. 
The  best  close  rendering  is  that  in  prose,  privately  printed 
by   the   ''Roman   Society,"   in   two  volumes,    1900-1901. 

115 


Copies  of  this  translation  are  scarce,  as  the  edition  was 
limited  to  two  hundred  and  sixty  copies. 

Aristophanes  is,  of  course,  essential,  but  of  the  eleven 
comedies  of  his  which  are  extant,  there  is  only  one  complete 
translation,  that  privately  printed  under  the  imprint  of  the 
"Athenian  Society,"  in  two  volumes,  London,  1912,  and 
limited  to  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  copies.  These 
comedies  have,  perhaps,  no  equal  in  all  literature,  except 
in  Rabelais,  and  the  translation  mentioned  not  only  does 
them  full  justice,  although  in  prose,  but  also  furnishes 
exhaustive  and  illuminating  notes  necessary  for  the  full 
understanding  of  all  the  humor.  Four  of  the  comedies 
were  translated  into  admirable  verse  by  J.  H.  Frere, 
Malta,  1839,  and  are  well  worth  having,  although,  of 
course,  Aristophanes^  frequent  and  characteristic  "obscene- 
ties"  are  omitted. 

Among  the  satirists  we  have  the  Latins,  Martial  and 
Juvenal,  and  the  Greek  Lucian.  The  best  Martial  in 
English  is  the  "Ex  Otio  Negotium"  of  R.  Fletcher,  Lon- 
don, 1656,  reprinted  in  an  edition  of  one  hundred  and  five 
copies  in  1893.  Only  selected  epigrams  are  given,  those 
selected  being  rendered  rather  freely,  but  there  is  no 
semblance  of  emasculation  and  the  essential  genius  of 
translation  is  present.  A  good  Juvenal  is  the  verse  trans- 
lation by  Robert  Stapylton,  London,  1647.  A  fair  prose 
rendering,  with  the  Latin  text,  is  found  in  an  anonymous 
translation  issued,  with  Sheridan's  translation  of  Persius, 

116 


in  1777.  Of  Lucian's  many  works,  there  are  almost 
innumerable  translations,  nearly  all  of  which  are  expur- 
gated. A  good  rendering  of  Selected  Dialogues  is  that 
by  Howard  Williams,  London,  Bell.  The  "True  His- 
tory," which  contains,  as  might  be  expected,  the  wildest 
flights  of  imagination,  was  translated  by  Francis  Hickes, 
London,  1634;  privately  reprinted  in  a  limited  edition, 
with  the  Greek  text,  in  1896. 

The  immortal  "Golden  Ass"  of  Lucius  Apuleius  is 
attractive  in  the  quaint  Elizabethan  version  of  William 
Adlington,  of  which  five  editions  in  small  black  letter  were 
printed  between  1566  and  1639.  A  modern  reprint  was 
issued  by  David  Nutt,  London,  in  1893.  The  translation 
is  not  always  accurate,  but  it  is  sufficiently  so  and  it  is 
particularly  treasured  as  a  fine  specimen  of  the  prose  of 
that  period.  Apuleius  exists  in  complete  translation  in 
the  rendering  by  F.  D.  Byrne,  printed  in  Paris  in  1904, 
in  a  limited  and  private  edition.  The  edition  has  numerous 
indifferent  plates,  and  was  reprinted,  in  incomplete  trans- 
lation, with  several  plates  omitted,  under  a  London 
imprint,  of  the  same  date.  The  translation  reads  rather 
more  easily  than  the  rendering  by  Thomas  Taylor, 
London,  1822,  and  includes  the  erotic  passages  which,  like 
all  similar  passages  in  the  classics,  are  incorporated  with 
ingenuous  shamelessness  and  are,  as  might  be  expected, 

117 


quite  harmless.  For  Taylor's  translation,  these  ''passages 
suppressed"  were  supplied  on  separate  sheets. 

Among  the  ''impudiques  et  charmants,"  as  Pierre 
Lx)uys  calls  them,  must  be  mentioned  the  famous  Satyricon 
of  Petronius,  of  which  Charles  Carrington  has  printed 
the  only  complete  translation,  with  his  own  imprint,  Paris 
1902,  in  an  edition  of  five  hundred  and  fifteen  copies, 
since  reprinted.  The  first  edition  bears  a  slip  attributing 
the  translation  to  Oscar  Wilde,  but  the  work  has  not  the 
slightest  internal  evidence  to  support  this.  Also  the 
'Triapeia"  a  collection  of  Latin  epigrams  of  the  best 
period,  all  bearing  on  the  god  Priapus.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  copies  of  a  translation  of  this  small  anthology  were 
issued  by  the  Erotika  Biblion  Society,  "Athens"  1888. 
Notes  on  various  subjects  occupy  more  than  half  the 
volume. 

Of  the  early  romances,  the  most  desirable  is  doubtless 
the  ''Daphnis  and  Chloe"  of  Longus  who  wrote  early  in 
the  Christian  era.  This  work  has  been  said  to  belong 
more  to  French  than  to  Greek  literature,  so  enthusiastic- 
ally was  it  adopted  in  France;  and,  in  fact,  the  first 
printed  edition  of  the  work,  translated  by  Bishop  Amyot 
in  1559,  preceded  the  editio  princeps  of  the  Greek  text  by 
forty  years.  A  great  many  French  editions  have  been 
printed,  some  with  charming  illustrations.  The  edition 
with  notes  by  A.  Pons  and  vignettes  by  Scott,  Paris, 
Quantin    1878,   gives   a   full   French   translation   of   the 

118 


Greek  text  and  an  exhaustive  bibliography  in  an  attrac- 
tive format.  The  only  complete  translation  in  English 
is  that  issued  to  subscribers  by  the  Athenian  Society  in 
1896. 

This  Athenian  Society  issued  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
legitimate  subscribers,  between  the  years  1895  and  1898, 
seven  volumes  of  complete  translations  from  the  Greek, 
of  which  several  volumes,  like  the  Longus,  were  the  first 
complete  translations  into  English.  On  account  of  the 
very  limited  issue,  the  volumes  are  very  scarce,  especially 
in  sets.  The  complete  issue  was  as  follows:  Lucian:  The 
Ass.  Dialogues  of  Courtesans.  Amores. — Procopius: 
Anecdota. — Alciphron:  Letters. — Longus:  Daphnis  and 
Chloe. — Heliodorus;  Three  books  of  the  ^thiopica. — 
Achilles  Tatius :  Four  Books  of  The  Loves  of  Cleitophon 
and  Leucippe. — Aristophanes:  The  Acharnians.  The 
Knights.  The  Clouds.  The  volumes  also  included  the 
Greek  text. 

The  general  subject  of  classic  translations  is  an 
interesting  one  and  capable  of  almost  infinite  expansion. 
One  might  form  a  very  imposing  collection  of  books  by 
merely  gathering  editions  of  Daphnis  and  Chloe,  for 
instance.  But  the  bibliophile,  whether  he  collects  Greek 
and  Latin  translations,  or  books  on  angling,  can  perhaps 
best  follow  his  own  taste  and  judgment,  when  once  he 
has  secured  a  nucleus  from  which  to  start,  and  fairly 
understands  the  possibilities — and  limitations — of  his 
subject.  119 


These  books — thin  boards  and  sheets  of  fragile 
paper — have  lived  while  countless  men  have 
died;  through  the  rise  and  fall  of  princes; 
through  w?Lrs  and  ruin  and  tempests. 

Other  hands,  long  since  forgotten,  have  cared 
for  them  and  kept  them  safely.  Now  they  are 
here  in  trust  with  me;  and  I,  in  my  turn,  linger 
over  them,  hoping  that  other  Owners,  yet 
unborn,  may  treat  them  gently  as  I,  and  those 
before,  have  done. 


121 


INDEX 

Association  Books:     107 

Auctions :     102 

Autographs   in  books:     16,  25,  107 

Autograph  Letters  in  books:     108 

Back,  Lining  up:    20,  4S 

Back,  Shaken  or  broken:     19 

Binding,    Cheap:    78 

Elaborate:     103 
Original:    73,  83,  92 

Bleaching:    33,  35 

Book-worms :    93 

Books  as  an  investment:     101 

Book  sizes:    94 

Catalogues:     102 

Cataloguing:    94 

Collating:     15 

Corners,  Repairing:     22,  63 

Covers    (leather),   Cleaning:     51 
Patching:    55 
Polishing:    56,  90 
123 


Covers   (leather),  Restoring:     55 

Transferring:    72 
Dealers:    99 
Dusting:    15,  91 
Edges,  Cleaning:    65 

Gilt  or  Uncut:    81 
Finishing  new  back:    46 
Gilt,  Removing:    71 
Restoring :    67 
Glaire:    59 

Hinges,   Repairing:    62 
Ink,  Brightening  autographs  in:    26 

Removing:    33,  54,  66 
Inlaying  covers:    60 
Inlaying  pages:     18 
Inlays,  Tinting:     18 
Kama  Shastra  Society:     106 
Leather  for  bindings:    39,  84 
Leather  Paste  for  inlays:    61 
Light,  Effect  on  books  of:    90 
Limited  Editions:     106 
Lining  up  backs:    20 
Marginal  MS  Notes:     16 
Margins,  Trimming:     78 
Modern  Editions:     105 
Niger  Morocco:    85 
Old  Paper  imitated:    18 

124 


Pages,  Repairing  torn:     17 
Paste  for  repairs:    20 
Presentation  copies:     16,  84,  107 
Preservative  for  leather:    40 
Preservative  Polish:    90 
Privately  Printed  books:     106 
Rarity  of  l)ooks:     104 
Rebacking,  Tools  for:    47 
Rebinding,  Best  leather  for:    84 

Directions  for:    80 

For  Amateurs:    79 

Price  of:    11,  82 

When  advisable:    55 
Report  of  the  Committee  on  Leather  for  Bookbinding:    85,  90 
Re-tinting:    31 
Sewing :    ^2 

Shelves,  Lining  for:    64,  91 
Sizing:    22,  30 
Slip-cases:    84 
Slip-covers:    92 
Spots,  Small:    30,  54 
Stains:    31 
Stains  of   Blood:    34 

Egg  Yellow:    ZZ 

Fecal  Matters  or  Urine:    34 

Fruit  Juice:    34 

Grease:    31,  54 

125 


Stains  of  Ink:    33y  54,  66 
Mud:    33 

Sealing-wax   or  Resin:    32 
Stearine :    32 
Tar  and  Pitch:     32 
Unknown  Origin:    30 
White   or  Yellow  Wax:     32 

Tools,   Making:    68 

Tooling:    46,  67 

Tooling,  Restoring  old:     67 

Transferred  Impressions:     34 

Varnish  for  bindings:     57 

Vellum  Bindings,   Cleaning:    59 

Velvet  for  shelves:    64,  91 

Washing:    33^  35 


126 


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